Conference preparations in Indonesia

On April 29, 2026, WHO Ambassador for Leprosy Elimination Yohei Sasakawa visited Indonesia as part of the preparation process for the country’s first national conference on leprosy. During his stay, he met with Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Cultural Affairs Pratikno and Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin to exchange views on the direction of the national conference and future awareness-raising strategies.

The Goodwill Ambassador also met with members of the Indonesian Leprosy Study Group (KSMHI), one of thirteen study groups operating under PERDOSKI, Indonesia’s national professional society of dermatology and venereology specialists, which has branches throughout the country. The discussion reaffirmed the important role that dermatologists play in promoting the early detection, proper diagnosis, and treatment of leprosy. Participants shared thoughts about how the study group could cooperate with the national conference and considered ways to strengthen future collaboration.

Current plans call for a three-day event to be held in Jakarta next month, July 8–10. President Prabowo Subianto is expected to attend, as well as other government officials, medical professionals, educators, religious leaders, and social welfare experts.

To strengthen outreach to the younger generation, new awareness-raising activities, such as collaboration with social media influencers, are being considered.

79th World Health Assembly

The Goodwill Ambassador participated in the 79th World Health Assembly, held in Geneva, Switzerland, May 18–23, 2026. He met with WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO regional directors, and senior health officials from 16 global priority countries – including India, Brazil, and Indonesia – to exchange views on strengthening international cooperation toward realizing a world free of leprosy.

This year’s Assembly marked the 25th anniversary of Yohei Sasakawa’s appointment as WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Leprosy Elimination. Reminding everyone that despite 25 years of effort approximately 170,000 new cases are still reported annually and that stigma and discrimination persist, he appealed to health ministers from around the world to intensify leprosy elimination efforts according to the guiding principle of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): “Leave no one behind.” He also used the occasion to announce a new slogan for the Sasakawa Leprosy Initiative’s Don’t Forget Leprosy campaign: “The last mile starts now.”

The new slogan is based on a Japanese proverb about how the last part of a journey is the most difficult. The Goodwill Ambassador wants to emphasize that humanity is now in the “last mile” when we all must give continued attention to both medical and social aspects of the disease and work together to realize a leprosy-free world.

Interview with the Goodwill Ambassador where he explains the “last mile” slogan: https://sasakawaleprosyinitiative.org/latest-updates/initiative-news/6951/