At this year’s World Health Assembly, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in his opening address on May 19: “I would also like to recognize the leadership of Mr. Yohei Sasakawa, who is celebrating 25 years as a WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Leprosy Elimination – our longest-serving Goodwill Ambassador, and still running strong.”

Twenty-five years ago, when I accepted this role, I resolved to show how “Goodwill Ambassador” could be more than a ceremonial title. I made three rules for myself: 1) go to the front lines to learn about problems firsthand; 2) directly approach national leaders to mobilize governments; 3) work with the media to disseminate information widely. Over the past 25 years, I have dedicated 2,654 days to this work, met with 1,812 dignitaries at the ministerial level or higher, and visited 127 countries.

Although progress has been made, the fight for a leprosy-free world is not over. In 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, I launched the Don’t Forget Leprosy campaign with the slogan “Leave no one behind.” This year, I am continuing the campaign with a new slogan: “The last mile starts now.”

The new slogan is inspired by a Japanese proverb about how the last part of a journey is the hardest: “A person who would go 100 miles should consider themselves halfway at the 99th.” If we think of ourselves as being at the 99th mile now with leprosy, then we need more effort than ever to reach our goal. I sincerely ask for your continued cooperation as we strive together to achieve a leprosy-free world.