The collaboration between the International Bureau for Epilepsy, the International League Against Epilepsy, and the WHO has shown that when people with different backgrounds and roles come together with a shared purpose, creativity is released, and expertise is used in innovative and constructive ways. The Global Campaign Against Epilepsy is a joint initiative of the World Health Organization (WHO), the International League against Epilepsy (ILAE), and the International Bureau for Epilepsy (IBE) to bring epilepsy "Out of the Shadows" worldwide by improving the diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and social acceptability of the disorder. The strategy of the Campaign includes two parallel and simultaneous tracks: it provides a platform for general awareness and understanding of epilepsy, and it will assist Departments of Health in identifying the needs and in promoting education, training, treatment, services, research, and prevention. In the partnership, the Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs) bring their expertise concerning epilepsy and their network of members, whereas WHO offers a framework for concerted action on a global, regional, and national level; increases government's awareness and responsiveness to epilepsy issues; and finally offers a network of regional and national offices. Presently a large number of IBE/ILAE member countries are actively participating in the Campaign. The member states of the WHO are, through their national institutions and health infrastructures, assisting in the endeavors and providing continued support and encouragement as and when needed. All activities are coordinated by the Global Campaign Secretariat, working closely together with the national IBE/ILAE members, WHO Regional and Local Offices, NGOs, and local ministries. Once a year the management of the Campaign (Campaign Secretariat plus representatives of the Executive Committees of IBE and ILAE), consisting of the experts in the world of epilepsy and its leadership together with the leadership of the WHO cluster on Mental Health, meet with the WHO Regional Advisors on Mental Health. On that occasion, the strategy, the finances, and new avenues for the day-to-day running of the Campaign are discussed. The following activities have been performed under the aegis of the Campaign: Regional conferences on public health aspects of epilepsy have been organized in the following WHO regions: African, American (North and Latin America), European, and jointly in the Southeast Asian and Western Pacific Region, with the aim to provide a platform for general understanding of epilepsy. One more conference is being planned to take place in Cairo, in March of this year. Demonstration projects are set up to support departments of health in identifying the needs and promoting education, training, treatment, services, research, and prevention on a national level. Projects have already been set up in the following WHO regions: African Region, American and Western Pacific Region, and pilot projects are being planned in the Southeast Asian Region. The ultimate goal of the Demonstration Projects is the development of a successful model of epilepsy control that will be integrated into the healthcare systems of the participating countries and regions and, finally, applied on a global level. Other activities encompass the development and dissemination of a questionnaire on country resources for epilepsy, with the aims to develop an atlas on country resources and regional status reports the organization of technical consultative meetings on various topics the development of educational materials and the publication of a regular newsletter the development of evidence-based guidelines It is evident that the collaboration between IBE, ILAE, and WHO has given the Campaign the opportunity to build a framework for concerted action on a global, regional, and national level to raise awareness and diminish the treatment gap. Partnerships between WHO and NGOs are the way forward, as the epilepsy project, The ILAE/IBE/WHO Global Campaign against Epilepsy "Out of the Shadows" proves.
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Boer et al. (2005) studied this question.