“On Tuesday, the Global Network [for Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs)] and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) hosted a panel to welcome three new neglected tropical disease special envoys,” the network’s “End the Neglect” blog writes. Former President Alvaro Arzú Irigoyen of Guatemala, former Chile President Ricardo Lagos Escobar, and former Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director Mirta Roses Periago “have joined the effort to eliminate NTDs in the Americas and in other regions of the world where these diseases cause suffering and promote the cycle of poverty,” according to the blog (Alabaster, 5/9). “The new NTD Special Envoys will focus primarily on the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region,” a press release from the Sabin Vaccine Institute states, noting they will “provide the political voice and the technical expertise needed to reach the [WHO’s] goal to control or eliminate the most common NTDs by 2020” and “will work with key G8/G20 countries, such as Brazil, Canada and Japan, to increase their support for the prevention and treatment of NTDs through expanded technical assistance and increased investments across the region” (5/7).