Events: 2012
World Malaria Report 2012 signals slowdown in the fight against malaria
UN Press Briefing on the Occasion of the Launch of the WHO World Malaria Report 2012
Mr Ray Chambers, Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General, and Dr Fatoumata Nafo-Traore, Roll Back Malaria Partnership Executive Director, at UN Press Briefing.
View video from UN WEB TV
UN Press Briefing on the Occasion of the Launch of the WHO World Malaria Report 2012
17 December 2012, Monrovia, LIBERIA/Geneva, SWITZERLAND: - During the past decade, a concerted effort by endemic countries, donors and global malaria partners led to strengthened malaria control around the world. The scale-up of malaria prevention and control interventions had the greatest impact in countries with high malaria transmission; 58% of the 1.1 million lives saved during this period were in the ten highest burden countries.
However, after a rapid expansion between 2004 and 2009, global funding for malaria prevention and control levelled off between 2010 and 2012, and progress in the delivery of some life-saving commodities has slowed. According to the World Malaria Report 2012, these developments are signs of a slowdown that could threaten to reverse the remarkable recent gains in the fight against one of the world's leading infectious killers.
Download World Malaria Report 2012
Read WHO News Release
World Malaria Report 2012 Fact sheet for journalists
View photos of the Information session on RBM Flickr
RBM Partnership calls for US$2.4 billion to avert potential malaria resurgence in sub-Saharan Africa
7 December 2012, Dakar, SENEGAL: - The Roll Back Malaria Partnership (RBM) Board concluded its 23rd meeting in Senegal with an urgent call to governments of malaria endemic countries and development partners to secure the US$2.4 billion needed over the next two years to maintain high levels of coverage with life-saving malaria prevention and treatment interventions in eight African countries. This call follows a decade of success where malaria deaths have fallen by over one-third in sub-Saharan Africa.
Read RBM Press release
More info on RBM Board
RBM Harmonization Working Group 13th Meeting
3 December 2012, Dakar, SENEGAL: -The Harmonization Working Group (HWG), a mechanism of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, convened priority malaria-endemic countries and their international partners to review country needs for technical and financial support and assess the implications of the current funding gap, the changes in the Global Fund and the new funding modalities. Participants will agree on priorities and activities for 2013.
More info on HWG
Princess Astrid of Belgium and Dr Nafo-Traoré visit the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Anvers
28 November 2012, Anvers, BELGIUM: -Princess Astrid of Belgium, a goodwill ambassador of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, and Dr. Nafo-Traoré, RBM Executive Director visited on Wednesday the Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM) in Anvers. They were received by Cathy Berx, governor of the province of Anvers and Bruno Gryseels, Director of the ITM. The working meeting concluded with a presentation on the ongoing malaria control efforts before a student audience.
View video clip
RBM briefs Ministers attending WHO Regional Committee for Africa
23 November 2012, Luanda, ANGOLA: - Addressing the 62nd assembly of WHO’s Regional Committee for Africa, Dr Luis Sambo, Regional Director, reported to ministers that malaria morbidity and mortality was reduced by 50% in at least 12 countries of the region. RBM Executive Director Dr Fatoumata Nafo-Traoré, congratulated countries for their impressive achievement and emphasized the need for sustaining the gains, including through increased domestic financing.
Representatives of nine central-African governments participated in the expert briefing that the Partnership organized on the side-lines of this assembly (Angola, Cameroun, CAR, Chad, Congo, DR Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Sao Tome & Principe).
For more information read RC62 Daily journals
View RBM Flickr slideshow
East Asia leaders agree to malaria alliance
21 November 2012, Phnom Penh, CAMBODIA: - Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, speaking in Phnom Penh at the East Asia Summit, committed $1 million to support the establishment of an Asia-Pacific Leaders Malaria Alliance. Policymakers adopted an Australia-initiated declaration, committing countries to working collaboratively to address malaria control and resistance to antimalarial medicines. The Alliance will assist the implementation of this commitment.
Read the AusAID news release
RBM Procurement and Supply Chain Management Working Group meets in Geneva
19 November 2012, Geneva, SWITZERLAND: - The Procurement & Supply Chain Management Working Group of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership started its ninth meeting today. Participants will review challenges and solutions reported by 31 endemic countries in September during the RBM-Global Fund PSM Workshop in Tunis and mobilize aligned support from partners to resolve outstanding issues by the end of 2012 and in 2013.
More info on RBM Procurement and Supply Chain Management Working Group
RBM welcomes Mark Dybul as new Global Fund Executive Director
15 November 2012, Geneva,SWITZERLAND: - The RBM Partnership welcomes the appointment of Ambassador Mark Dybul as the new Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund).
"Ambassador Dybul has a wealth of experience and demonstrated leadership in global public health. As the former United States Global AIDS Coordinator, he has a deep appreciation of country level programs, including those for malaria control. The RBM Board looks forward to working with him and to continuing its close collaboration with the Global Fund Board that has enabled millions of people to access lifesaving malaria prevention and treatment," said Dr Fatoumata Nafo-Traoré, Executive Director of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership.
Read RBM Statement
Community health workers help reduce child deaths in Africa, new evidence shows
13 November 2012: - Comprehensive evidence has been published that shows how using community health workers to diagnose and treat the three most common killers of African children - pneumonia, diarrhoea and malaria - can increase access and reduce deaths.
Read AJTMH Special supplement on integrated community case management
Read also Joint WHO/UNICEF Statement on integrated community case management (iCCM)
RBM's Goodwill Ambassador speaks at the World Economic Forum Summit on the Global Agenda
12 November 2012, Dubai, UAE: - Yvonne Chaka Chaka, RBM's Goodwill Ambassador, is among the guest lecturers at a World Economic Forum Summit, focused on the role of art, culture and education in propelling societies forward. The event was organized under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Majid Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
Read more
PAHO commemorates the 6th annual Malaria Day in the Americas
9 November 2012,Washington, D.C., USA: - Three government-supported anti-malaria programs from Paraguay, Brazil, and Ecuador were named Malaria Champions of the Americas this week for their success in reducing the burden of malaria through improved diagnosis, treatment, and surveillance. The winners were honored during an event marking the 6th annual Malaria Day in the Americas, at the headquarters of the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO).
The top Malaria Champion of the Americas award went to the National Malaria Control Program of Paraguay, which has reduced the burden of malaria by focusing on the elimination of local transmission and the use of a systematic model for testing, treating, and tracking malaria cases that emphasizes community volunteers, strategic supervision, support of personnel, assurance of quality services, and effective use of local resources.
Read more
The 1st Meeting Roll Back Malaria Partnership Communication Community of Practice at the Country Level
8 November 2012, Maputo, MOZAMBIQUE: - National Malaria Control Programs, Partners and Donor Agencies meet to develop a new road map for enhancing the impact of communication in malaria control efforts at the country level.
Read RBM Announcement
Progress and impact of malaria control in Swaziland
8 November 2012: - A new Roll Back Malaria report, entitled "Focus on Swaziland" documents the successes of malaria control efforts in the Kingdom of Swaziland and points to the key factors that enabled them.
Swaziland is well on track to become malaria-free over the next few years. If the country reaches its ambitious goals, it will become the first mainland sub-Saharan African nation to have eliminated malaria.
More info
Read the Global Fund Statement
GHS News release
Download the report Focus on Swaziland
View photos from the Report launch on RBM Flickr
Malaria conference ends in consensus for action in the Asia-Pacific
5 November 2012: - Collective regional action to reduce malaria cases and deaths by 75 per cent and contain artemisinin resistance in the Asia-Pacific region could save an estimated 70 000 lives and prevent 50 million cases of malaria by 2015, says consensus document, agreed at Malaria 2012: Saving lives in the Asia Pacific, a conference held from 31 October to 2 November 2012 in Sydney Australia.
Representatives from over 30 countries and 130 organisations in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond reviewed strategies to ultimately eliminate malaria from the region and identified priority actions to achieve global and national malaria targets in the Asia-Pacific region by 2015.
These actions echoed the recommendations of a new report by the World Health Organisation, released at the conference under the Roll Back Malaria Partnership Progress and Impact Series. The RBM report is the first to shine a light on progress and challenges in the fight against malaria in other regions of the world. The Asia-Pacific region is the second most-affected region in the world and accounts for approximately 88% of the cases and 91% of the deaths, caused by malaria outside Africa.
View Consensus on Malaria Control and Elimination in the Asia-Pacific
Download the report Defeating Malaria in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and the Pacific
Roll Back Malaria Partnership (RBM) Commends Australia's Pledge to Fight Malaria in Asia-Pacific
2 November 2012, Sydney, AUSTRALIA: - The RBM Partnership welcomes the commitment made by Australia to save lives and boost economic development in the region by pledging AU$ 100 million over the next four years to scale up malaria control, contain the spread of drug resistance and advance malaria research.
Read RBM Statement
Consensus on Malaria Control and Elimination in the Asia-Pacific
New Roll Back Malaria report highlights malaria burden in Asia-Pacific
Australia urges accelerated action against malaria in the region
2 November 2012, Sydney, AUSTRALIA: - Launching a new report "Defeating malaria in Asia, the Pacific, Americas, Middle East and Europe," the Roll Back Malaria (RBM) Partnership and the report's author, the World Health Organization (WHO), briefed regional leaders on the impact of malaria on development and health systems in countries outside of Africa. Malaria is a potentially fatal disease which threatens over 2 billion people each year in the Asia-Pacific Region - approximately 67% of the world's total population of people at risk of malaria.
Key facts of the report
Download the report Defeating Malaria in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and the Pacific
Policy Brief
Press release [in French]
AUSTRALIA - Malaria 2012: Saving Lives in the Asia-Pacific
31 October 2012, Sydney, AUSTRALIA: - In response to financial challenges and emerging drug resistance in areas of the Greater Mekong subregion, the Australian government has gathered key stakeholders in Sydney for a 3-day conference to evaluate progress against malaria in the Asia-Pacific and identify opportunities to overcome pressing challenges. Australian Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, and UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, welcomed participants via video-conference and encouraged collaboration and increased action to tackle the killer disease. During the first plenary session, Dr Fatoumata Nafo-Traoré, Executive Director of the Roll Back Malaria (RBM) Partnership, highlighted the important role of partnership to achieve effective regional coordination and cross-border collaboration, and address emerging resistance to artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs). With 14% of global malaria cases and 7% of global deaths, the Asia-Pacific bears the largest burden of malaria outside of Africa.
View RBM video UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon opens Australia malaria 2012 Conference
More info on Malaria 2012
Malaria in the Asia-Pacific (INFOGRAPHIC)
Find out how your country is doing from the infographic, which shows the estimated number of malaria cases each year, the "probable and confirmed" cases, as well as the current phase of the malaria response in each contry.
[Flash version] [Interactive PDF]
RBM: Saving lives in the Asia-Pacific
29 October 2012 - View the short RBM video news release produced in the lead-up to the Malaria2012 conference, hosted by the Australian Government (31 October - 2 November 2012).
Thai-Myanmar Cross-Border Collaboration to Strengthen Malaria-Control Efforts and Contain Artemisinin Resistance
28 October 2012, Bangkok, THAILAND: - Emerging resistance to artemisin-based combination therapies (ACTs) along the Thai-Myanmar border will be a commanding theme at the AusAID's Malaria 2012: Saving lives in the Asia-Pacific summit, starting in Sydney on October 31. In an effort to address this challenge, the government of Thailand hosted a bi-lateral meeting this week with officials from Myanmar's Ministry of Health, the World Health Organisation and the Roll Back Malaria Partnership. The meeting highlighted best practices and identified opportunities for cross-border collaboration in control activities along the Thai-Myanmar border.
In Bangkok, officials highlighted their intention to increase collaboration, including through technical support, and to strengthen malaria control efforts and contain the emerging resistance in the area. Addressing participants and media during the opening session, Dr Nafo-Traoré, RBM's Executive Director, stressed the importance of partnerships to help sustain fragile gains made in the region and welcomed strengthened collaboration between the two countries.
Journalists joined a field visit in the Sai Yok District in the Kanchanaburi Province, just 10 km away from the Thai-Myanmar border, to investigate the issue of resistance and highlight Thailand's efforts to contain it.
View photogallery on The Nation
France's First Lady and Development Minister join RBM on a mission to malaria-endemic Congo (DRC)
13 October 2012, Kinshasa, DRC - France's First Lady Ms. Valérie Trierweiler, accompanied by Mr. Pascal Canfin, French Minister of Development and Dr. Félix Kabange Numbi, Minister of Health of the Democratic Republic of Congo Dr. Fatoumata Nafo-Traoré, Executive Director of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, visited a children's hospital in Kinshasa to highlight the importance of tackling malaria through prevention, treatment and case management.
Malaria continues to kills approximately 650,000 people each year, mostly African children under the age of five. The Democratic Republic of Congo is one the most affected countries in the world. Its large geographic size and poor infrastructure complicate tremendously ongoing efforts to protect, diagnose and treat people at risk. The French Government provides approximately 16% of the global budget to combat malaria.
View photogallery French First Lady and Minister visiting a pediatric clinic in Kinshasa with RBM
Leading malaria researchers and policy-makers discuss progress towards elimination
10 October 2012, Basel, SWITZERLAND : - The path to malaria elimination will be a commanding theme at a two-day malaria research conference that gathers internationally renowned exports for a discussion around key challenges in combatting malaria, including artemisinin resistance, reliable diagnostics and vector control, development of new drugs and vaccine development. The event is hosted by BioMed Central, in conjunction with its journals Malaria Journal and Parasites & Vectors.
More info on Challenges in Malaria Research conference
RBM Executive Director Dr Fatoumata Nafo-Traoré Urges Political Leadership and Regional Collaboration in Fight Against Malaria
26 September 2012, New York, USA : - In a series of high-level bilateral meetings at the margins of the United Nations General Assembly, RBM Executive Director Dr Fatoumata Nafo-Traoré urged stronger political leadership and increased investment in the fight against malaria to address key challenges to malaria control in Africa and the Asia Pacific region, including the threat of spreading drug and insecticide resistance.
The Executive Director and her delegation met with African leaders from endemic countries, including President Boni Yayi of Benin, Chair of the African Union, as well as other African leaders to highlight current progress and urge continued investment to sustain the gains made to date.
Dr Nafo-Traoré also met with the Prime Minister and the Minister of Health of Thailand and Ministers from Cambodia and Myanmar, as well as the Secretary-General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to encourage continued regional coordination and increased support for the implementation of resistance containment strategies, developed by the World Health Organisation, including the Global Plan for Artemisinin Resistance Containment (GPARC) and the Global Plan for Insecticide Resistance Management in malaria vectors (GPIRM).
Dr Nafo-Traoré and her delegation discussed the importance of supporting regional collaboration with leading donors in the region, including the Australian Government Overseas Aid Program (AusAID) and the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
In a month's time AusAID will host a high-level malaria conference, entitled "Malaria 2012: Saving Lives in the Asia-Pacific" in Sydney, Australia to strengthen political will to combat malaria in the Asia-Pacific region.
View RBM External Relations Flickr Photo Slide show
More information on the UN General Assembly
World Leaders Gather for High-Level Meetings at the United Nations General Assembly
24 September 2012, New York, USA : - In the days following the opening of the 67th session of the United Nations General Assembly, world leaders are gathering in New York for high-level meetings to tackle some of humanity's most pressing issues. Heads of State and the world's preeminent decision-makers will participate in a dialogue to drive cohesive action on a variety of development issues, including peace and security, climate change, human rights and global health. Side events will leverage the convening power of the meetings to highlight the need for sustained political and financial commitment to global health challenges, including malaria, as the 2015 deadline approaches to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). RBM Executive Director, Dr Fatoumata Nafo-Traoré, and members of the RBM Partnership will attend these events, as well as high-level bilateral meetings, to help advance discussions and intensify action on global malaria control.
For more information on the UN General Assembly
RBM partners discuss ways to remove barriers to accessing malaria health products
12 September 2012, Geneva / Kuwait : -18 September 2012, Tunis : -In a two-day workshop, jointly organized by the Roll Back Malaria Partnership and the Global Fund, representatives of 31 African countries discussed the major issues countries face in the area of procurement and supply chain management. The participants exchanged their countries' experience on resolving specific issues so that effective solutions can be replicated in appropriate contexts throughout the region.
View RBM Flickr Slide show
Kuwait Invests in the Fight Against Malaria
Kuwait grants Roll Back Malaria (RBM) Partnership Secretariat US $3 million to help coordinate global control efforts
12 September 2012, Geneva / Kuwait : - The State of Kuwait has pledged to contribute US$3 million to the global fight against malaria through a grant to the Roll Back Malaria Partnership (RBM) Secretariat. This contribution comes at the behest of His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to help coordinate the global response to a leading killer disease. In June 2012, the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development also committed US$1 million to the RBM Partnership Secretariat to support the global malaria fight.
Read RBM Press Release
General Assembly Calls for Accelerated Efforts to Eliminate Malaria in Developing Countries, Particularly Africa, by 2015, in Consensus Resolution
10 September 2012, New York, USA: - A United Nations Malaria Resolution, led by the Permanent Mission of the Democratic Republic of Liberia on behalf of the UN Africa Group, was adopted by the General Assembly yesterday. With guidance from the RBM Partnership, the recommendations in the resolution urge governments, together with United Nations agencies, private organizations and foundations to accelerate efforts to achieve by 2015 the targets set in Roll Back Malaria's Global Malaria Action Plan (GMAP) and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The resolution recognizes the progress made in the fight against malaria and calls upon endemic and donor countries to increase predictable resources for malaria and scale-up control programs. More than $3 billion is needed annually to bridge the current funding gap and implement the GMAP.
More info on "Consolidating gains and accelerating efforts to control and eliminate malaria in developing countries, particularly in Africa, by 2015" [in English] [in French]
View Webcast of 127th plenary meeting of the UN General Assembly
Mauritania Commits to Eliminate Malaria by 2015
6 September 2012, Nouakchott, MAURITANIA : - In her first country visit as Executive Director of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, Dr Fatoumata Nafo-Traoré met with HE Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, who outlined his country's plan to ensure that Mauritania achieves the MDGs ahead of the 2015 timeline.
Malaria is the primary cause of mortality in Mauritania's southern region and is cited as the most frequented health concern among people seeking medical services. Given the severity of the disease, the Government of Mauritania has committed to emphasize malaria control as part of the country's Millennium Development Goal (MDG) roadmap and recently allocated US$ 20 million to support the scale-up of MDG-related initiatives, including for malaria, MDG 6.
View RBM Media Update
Read Bayane OMS Mauritanie
Read the official communication from the offices of the President and Prime Minister
RBM Launches New Country Level Communications Strategic Framework
5 September 2012, Arusha, TANZANIA: - The RBM Partnership is today launching The Strategic Framework for Malaria Communication at the Country Level, a key reference document for policy makers and a road map for enhancing the impact of communication in malaria control efforts at the country level to improve the uptake and use of malaria prevention and treatment.
Speaking at the RBM Partnership East African Sub Regional Network annual meeting in Arusha, Tanzania, where the report is being launched, Dr Hussein Ali Mwinyi, Minister of Health and Social Welfare, United Republic of Tanzania said "The Strategic Framework is the result of more than six years of work by countries, partners and other stakeholders to chart out a framework for better integrating communication into malaria control as well as scope out a research, implementation and evaluation agenda for the next five years.
I would like to say thanks to all of the National Malaria Control Programs and other members of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership - President's Malaria Initiative, FHI360/C-Change Project, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, Malaria No More, Population Services International, UNICEF and others - for your support in controlling malaria in our countries. We look forward to working with you on this."
Dr Fatoumata Nafo-Traore, Executive Director of the RBM Partnership and Dr Elizabeth Fox, Director, Global Health Bureau, U.S. Agency for International Development, concurred on the importance of improving vital country level communications. Dr Nafo-Traore said "At this point in the almost fifty year fight against malaria, we need to focus on ensuring that evidence-based communications is positioned as a core component of global and national malaria control policy and is allocated the resources necessary to contribute to health impact."
Read Press release
Download The Strategic Framework for Malaria Communication at the Country Level
Twenty-nine countries in the East and West African RBM networks review country roadmaps and progress towards RBM targets
3 September 2012: - Meeting in Arusha, Tanzania, the East African Sub-regional Network (EARN) is gathering to discuss the implementation of the partnership work plan, review all thirteen of the sub region's country roadmaps and identify bottlenecks and obstacles that could prevent countries from achieving goals. The meeting was addressed by the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, United Republic of Tanzania, Dr Hussein Ali Mwinyi, who welcomed the addition of a new resource for countries' malaria control efforts, The Strategic Framework for Malaria Communication at the Country Level, which will be launched this week.
In parallel, the West African Sub Regional Network (WARN) annual meeting in Praia, Cape Verde, brings together the National Malaria Control Program managers of a further sixteen West African countries, WARN partners to conduct a similar evaluation of 2012 roadmaps and plan the way forward for the sub-region in 2013.
More info on EARN
More info on WARN
AUSAID commits new funding to malaria elimination in Solomon Islands
20 August 2012, AUSTRALIA: - As part of its long-term effort to eliminate malaria in the Solomon Islands, Australia will provide additional $14.75 million over four years to support the distribution of treated bed nets, mosquito spraying and community education, particularly for children and pregnant women.
Foreign Minister, Senator Bob Carr, announced the funding commitment while visiting Tulagi hospital in Central Province, Solomon Islands. Australia's additional four-year anti-malaria funding in the Solomon Islands would commence later in 2012. Australia will also host a regional anti-malaria conference in Sydney from October 31 to November 2, 2012, to better co-ordinate Asia-Pacific campaigns to fight the disease.
View Media Release
Vietnam to Tackle Ending Malaria with Asia Pacific Malaria Elimination Network
20 August 2012: - In an important step toward achieving malaria elimination, Vietnam officially joins the Asia Pacific Malaria Elimination Network (APMEN). APMEN brings together countries in the Asia Pacific that have adopted a national or sub-national goal for malaria elimination, and connects them with a broad range of regional and global malaria partners to develop best practices for eliminating malaria and to efficiently address region-specific challenges, like Plasmodium vivax.
Read APMEN press release
RBM Partner in the UK raises awareness of malaria on World Mosquito Day
20 August 2012, London, UK: - To mark World Mosquito Day, Malaria No More (UK) invites passengers on board a fictitious airplane for a trip to malaria-endemic regions. An interactive infographic shows travelers countries affected by malaria in the past and today and shares key facts and compelling stories.
20 August went down in history as World Mosquito Day when British doctor Ronald Ross made the link between the bite of female mosquitoes and malaria's transmission from human to human 115 years ago. In 1902, Ross's discovery earned him the Nobel prize for medicine and laid the foundations for scientists across the world to better understand and protect humanity against malaria-carrying mosquitoes.
Learn more
RBM elects new Board members
15 August 2012, Geneva, SWITZERLAND : - : Two of the 7 constituencies, represented on the RBM Partnership Board have recently elected new Board members and alternates. The constituency of malaria-endemic countries has elected Indonesia as RBM Alternate Board member at the margins of the 11th ASEAN Health Ministers meeting. Indonesia will be represented by Prof Dr Tjandra Yoga Aditama, Director General of Disease Control & EH, Ministry of Health of Indonesia.
The constituency of non-governmental organisations has re-elected Dr Akudo Anyanwu as Board member and Dr Esther Tallah as Alternate, both representing Southern NGOs. Mrs Rima Shretta, former Alternate member, has been elected Board member, representing Nothern NGOs. Elections for the Alternate seat are ongoing.
More info on RBM Board
Executive Director of Roll Back Malaria concludes official visit to WHO Regional Office for Africa in Congo Brazzaville
10 August 2012, Brazzaville, CONGO: - The Executive Director of Roll Back Malaria (RBM), Dr Fatoumata Nafo-Traore, ended a two-day official visit to the WHO Regional Office for Africa in Brazzaville.
The aim of the visit was to reinforce collaboration among RBM, WHO and ALMA (African Leaders Malaria Alliance) to support countries in Africa.
More info on WHO AFRO
RBM and Malaria No More Support Global Festival to End Extreme Poverty
8 August 2012, New York, USA: -The Roll Back Malaria (RBM) Partnership, together with Malaria No More, is proud to support the Global Poverty Project's Global Festival, which will celebrate the progress made in the fight against extreme poverty and other related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). As leaders gather in New York for the United Nations General Assembly in September, the festival could bring as many as 60,000 change makers to Central Park on Saturday, 29 September for an iconic concert that will call on leaders and the public to increase commitment to overcoming extreme poverty and associated global health issues like malaria.
The Foo Fighters, Neil Young, The Black Keys, Band of Horses and Somalia-born K'Naan are among the artists that have signed on to perform at the inaugural advocacy concert. Through the Global Festival, organizers hope to secure at least US $100 million in new commitments from governments and donors to benefit the world's poorest, as well as mobilize thousands of ambassadors for change.
Beyond the attention the headlining bands will bring to the issues, a unique ticketing system will create greater engagement among the public on a variety of pressing development issues. Through the Global Poverty Project's online platform, called Global Citizen, fans will have the chance to earn tickets to the concert while gaining knowledge about global issues and supporting a cause through financial donations.
Malaria will be among the many poverty-related issues featured at the Global Festival. Its cause will be lead by Malaria No More and The Roll Back Malaria Partnership.
More info
RBM SARN Annual Constituencies Consultative Meeting
23 - 27 July 2012, Johannesburg, SOUTH AFRICA: - The Southern Africa Roll Back Malaria Network (SARN), supported by the RBM Secretariat and partners, will hold the SARN General Assembly Annual Constituencies Consultative Meeting to review progress in the implementation of the SARN Work Plan and country road maps. Participants will also discuss the SADC Malaria Strategic Framework (2007 - 2015) and the SADC Malaria Elimination Framework and share best practices in achieving progress towards the RBM targets and the MDGs.
View Meeting agenda
More info on SARN
View RBM Flickr slideshow
Dr Fatoumata Nafo-Traoré Takes Office as RBM Executive Director
19 July 2012, Geneva, SWITZERLAND: -A few days after having taken up the post of Executive Director of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, Dr Fatoumata Nafo-Traoré congratulated RBM partners for having galvanised unprecedented progress in the fight against malaria over the past decade.
"Working in Africa as a medical doctor, WHO Representative, and Malian Minister of Health has allowed me to appreciate just how successful the RBM Partnership has been," she said, referring to the massive efforts, which brought malaria into the global limelight and led to the significant reduction in malaria cases and deaths.
"But I am also acutely aware of the difficult task we have ahead of us," she added, referring to the ambitions goals laid out in the Global Malaria Action Plan (GMAP).
RBM's GMAP calls for reducing global malaria deaths to near zero and global malaria cases by 75% by 2015, setting 2000 levels as a baseline. It also calls for eliminating malaria in at least ten new countries by 2015 and for effectively containing the risk of drug and insecticide resistance.
"This is a huge job and getting it done will require a great commitment from all," Dr Nafo-Traoré said. "To reach our goal, we need to open new channels of communication and engage a wider range of actors in our fight. Securing sufficient resources is key to ensure that all efforts continue to be translated into effective action in countries."
"RBM partners are the planners, thinkers, advocates, donors and implementers," Dr Nafo-Traoré said. "I look forward to meeting you and hearing your ideas and insights, so that, together, we can shape the new decade of malaria control efforts with the sense of urgency and level of excellence required for us to meet our ambitious goals."
View Dr Nafo-Traoré biography [in English]
US Senate Agrees on New Malaria Resolution
11 July 2012, Washington DC, USA / Geneva, SWITZERLAND: -The Senate of the United States of America agreed to a new resolution supporting the goals and ideals of World Malaria Day, including the target of ending malaria deaths by 2015. It reaffirmed US leadership and support for efforts to combat malaria as a critical component of the President's Global Health Initiative.
The resolution commends the progress made toward reducing global malaria prevalence and deaths, particularly through the efforts of the President's Malaria Initiative and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.
Recognizing the goals to combat malaria in the Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008, the Senate encourages members of the international community to sustain and scale up their support for efforts to combat malaria.
The concurrent resolution was sponsored by 12 Senators, referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations and agreed to in Senate on 10 July 2012 with an amendment and with a preamble.
In the United States Congress, a concurrent resolution is a resolution passed by both the House of Representatives and the Senate but is not presented to the President. It does not have the force of law. Concurrent resolutions are generally used to address the sentiments of both chambers or deal with issues or matters affecting both houses.
Read the full resolution
RBM CARN Annual Meeting
10 July 2012, Yaounde, CAMEROON: - Representatives of more than 60 RBM partner organisations gathered for the two-day long annual meeting of RBM's Central African Regional Network (CARN). Participants reviewed progress in malaria control in the region, identified bottlenecks and discussed strategies for their rapid resolution. CARN's performance as a platform for synchronised action in the region was reviewed, as well as progress against the objectives and milestones of the 2012 work plan.
More info on CARN
Tunis Declaration Calls for Increased Domestic Financing for Health
6 July 2012, TUNIS: -African Ministers of Finance and Health met in Tunis this week to review strategies for investing in the continent's health sector during the coming years. Addressing the ministers, the Roll Back Malaria Partnership's Board Chair, Victor Makwenge urged the uptake of public-health and financing policies that demonstrate impact on maternal and child health.
View RBM Update
ASEAN political commitment critical to sustain malaria gains
4 July 2012, Phuket, THAILAND: -
As the ten member countries gather at the ASEAN Health Ministerial Meeting, the Government of Thailand and the Roll Back Malaria Partnership (RBM) convene a high-level consultation during the event to urge greater political support for on-going malaria control efforts in the region.
Evidence of emerging resistance to the most effective antimalarial drugs has recently put the region in the global spotlight. Experts fear that if resistant malaria strains spread to other regions and continents, the only treatment currently available against the deadliest form of malaria – the artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) – may lose its efficacy and that many of the significant gains of the past decade could be reversed.
Read RBM Press Release
RBM supports African countries to secure funding for malaria control
19 June 2012, Dakar, SENEGAL: -37 malaria-endemic countries gathered today for a four-day RBM workshop to develop comprehensive malaria programmatic gap analysis and to enhance countries' understanding of the current donor environment.
The workshop, organised by RBM's Harmonisation Working Group (HWG), has prioritised countries that are in urgent need of filling their funding gaps in the next three years. Participants will identify the type of technical support countries need to prepare sustained financing plans for malaria.
Advocacy features is a key component of the workshop. An advocacy track, organised by RBM's Malaria Advocacy Working Group (MAWG) will empower priority countries to effectively use modern advocacy techniques in future efforts to mobilise resources and fill existing gaps.
View RBM Press Release [in French]
Visit RBM Flickr photo galleery
RBM reviews progress in malaria control in West Africa
18 June 2012, Dakar, SENEGAL: -Representatives from 15 countries in the RBM West African Regional Network (WARN) gathered to review progress on RBM country roadmaps and discuss their needs for technical assistance. They also reviewed the new gap analysis methodology, elimination strategies and the need for seasonal malaria chemoprevention. These discussions are taking place in advance of a two-day workshop where funding gaps in countries will be analyzed and new funding opportunities presented.
RBM's New Executive Director Appointed
14 June 2012, Geneva, SWITZERLAND: - Dr Nafo-Traoré brings to the Partnership over twenty five years of relevant expertise and leadership experience. After working as a Health Specialist at the World Bank in Bamako, Dr Nafo-Traoré served as Minister of Health, Social Affairs, Solidarity and the Elderly of Mali from 2000 to 2002. She was appointed as the first Executive Secretary of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership in 2003. Dr Nafo-Traoré subsequently held office as the Director of the WHO Roll Back Malaria Department and as WHO representative to the Congo and Ethiopia.
RBM and International Aid Organizations Honor United Nations Deputy Secretary-General for Contributions to Global Health
12 June 2012; New York, USA: -As Dr Asha-Rose Migiro, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, finishes her six-year mandate, the Roll Back Malaria (RBM) Partnership, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) gather at the UN headquarters in New York to acknowledge her contributions to global health. At a reception, co-hosted by RBM, UNAIDS and UNFPA on Thursday evening, hundreds of guests from the UN community, including Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the private sector and the NGO community came to celebrate the progress that Dr. Migiro, a Tanzania native, has helped forge against global health and development targets during her tenure.
Visit RBM Flickr NY Photo Gallery
Sixth Meeting of the RBM Partnership Case Management Working Group
Geneva, 11th-13th June 2012: -Nearly 50 experts, representing 16 RBM partner organizations and the national malaria control programs of Cambodia, Malawi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria and the island of Zanzibar gathered today to share good practice and exchange knowledge and experiences on a host of issues related to malaria case management. The participants discussed ways to improve the implementation of current strategies for managing malaria cases in endemic countries, so as to achieve the global target of near zero malaria deaths by 2015.
More info on Case Management Working Group (CMWG)
Visit RBM Flickr Photo Gallery: 6th CMWG meeting
RBM's MERG meeting focuses on tools to track progress in malaria control
6-8 June, London, UK: -The Roll Back Malaria Monitoring and Evaluation Reference Group (RBM MERG) held its 19th meeting to track GMAP objectives, targets and milestones and review use of malaria monitoring tools at sub-national level. In addition to providing a platform for information-sharing and coordination, the meeting allowed participants to review ongoing work and discuss priorities to be addressed in the 2013 workplan.
More info on Monitoring & Evaluation Reference Group (MERG)
The Kuwait Fund to support RBM in its mission to end malaria
1 June, Kuwait City: -The Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development pledged this week to contribute 1 million US$ over a period of 3 years to the activities of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership Secretariat. The funding will help strengthen high-level political commitment for the fight against malaria.
Twenty-Second RBM Board Meeting
16-18 May 2012, SWITZERLAND, Geneva/Lausanne: - At its 22nd Meeting, starting in Lausanne today, the RBM Board will consider three main issues. First, the Board will deliberate over strategies for insuring uninterrupted flow of subsidized antimalarials to countries participating in the Affordable Medicines for Malaria initiative (AMfM). Second, the Board will review the implementation plan of the resource mobilization strategy for the Global Malaria Action Plan and identify priority actions for 2013 and beyond. Finally, a new RBM Executive Director is expected to be selected. A back-to-back ministerial session, to be held on 18 May, will gather 40 ministers of malaria-endemic countries in Geneva to address identification of funding for ongoing malaria control interventions in Africa.
More info on RBM Board
View 22nd RBM Board Decision Points
Visit RBM Flickr Photo Gallery: 22nd RBM Board Meeting
RBM Flickr Photo Gallery: Ministerial Session of the 22nd RBM Board Meeting
Swiss Malaria Group's exhibit on malaria at the Natural History Museum in Geneva
15 mai, SWITZERLAND, Geneva: -le Dr Richard N Kamwi, membre du Conseil du Partenariat RBM et Ministre namibien de la Santé, a rejoint M. Didier Burkhalter, Chef suisse du Département fédéral des affaires étrangères ainsi que le Dr Thomas Teuscher, Directeur exécutif par intérim du Partenariat RBM, lors de l'ouverture de l'exposition sur le paludisme organisée par le Swiss Malaria Group au Muséum d'histoire naturelle de la ville de Genève. Les discussions au cours de l'évènement ont principalement portées sur l'importance de la préservation des acquis de la lutte contre le paludisme.
Plus d'informations
WHO and RBM launch Global Plan for Insecticide Resistance Management in malaria vectors
15 May, SWITZERLAND, Geneva: -The WHO Global Malaria Programme and the Roll Back Malaria Partnership have launched a global plan to tackle the emerging threat of mosquito resistance to insecticides. WHO and RBM urge affected countries and stakeholders to take action to preserve the effectiveness of current vector control tools, and to ensure that a new generation of public health insecticides is made available soon.
More info on Global Plan for Insecticide Resistance Management in Malaria Vectors (GPIRM)
Visit RBM Flickr Photo Gallery on the Official Launch of Global Plan for Insecticide Resistance Management in malaria vectors (GPIRM)
Global Fund Forecasts $1.6 billion in Available Funds for 2012-2014
Major Shift Reflects Strategic Choices by Board, Renewed Confidence
10 May, SWITZERLAND, Geneva: - A new financial forecast by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria estimates that more than $1.6 billion in additional funding will be available in the 2012-14 period for investment in projects that save lives.
The new forecast is a result of strategic decisions made by the Board during its 26th meeting that started today. The funding will be invested in countries where demand is most pressing and a plan will be adopted to transform the Global Fund as to create multiple positive effects, including improved financial supervision and overall efficiency.
Read Global Fund press release
RBM partners strengthen community involvement in malaria control in Africa through behavior change communication
2-4 May 2012, Accra, GHANA: -Representatives of more than 13 RBM partner organizations are in Accra this week to collectively review the latest best practices and lessons learned in behavioral change communication in endemic countries. The meeting is the final step towards outlining a 5-year Global Strategic Framework for social and behavior change communication (SBCC) on malaria prevention, diagnosis and treatment. RBM has been systematically investing efforts in developing an SBCC strategy to create an enabling environment for sustainable positive change in malaria control practices.
View Provisional Consultative Meeting Agenda.
WHO urges endemic countries and donors to scale up testing, treatment and surveillance for malaria
24 April 2012, SWITZERLAND, Geneva: - On World Malaria Day 2012, WHO hails global progress in combating malaria but highlights the need to further reinforce the fight. The Global Malaria Programme's new initiative, T3: Test. Treat. Track, urges malaria-endemic countries and donors to move towards universal access to diagnostic testing and antimalarial treatment, and to build stronger malaria surveillance systems.
For more info read WHO news release
Just published: Disease Surveillance for Malaria Control & Elimination
T3: Test. Treat. Track brochure
View T3: Test. Treat. Track infographic on YouTube
$3.2 billion extra funding needed to meet the 2015 malaria goals in Africa
23 April 2012, USA, New York: - An RBM round-table discussion gathered leading global financiers and decision-makers to discuss new strategies for securing both more domestic funding in countries and sufficient external development aid in low-income countries. Thanks to improved access to malaria prevention, malaria death rates have fallen by over a quarter worldwide and by a third in Africa over the past decade.
"When it comes to saving child lives in Africa, malaria control is our best investment," said Dr. Thomas Teuscher, speaking at a round-table discussion in New York, which focused on raising the $3.2 billion extra funding needed to achieve universal coverage in sub-Sahran Africa, which carries 91% of the global malaria burden, and save 3 million lives by 2015. African Health Ministers, the UN Special Envoy for malaria and the heads of major donor institutions - the Global Fund, US President's Malaria Initiative and UNICEF - discussed how to ensure a predictable flow of funding for control interventions in endemic countries and intensify progress towards the 2015 goal of near-zero malaria deaths.
View media coverage
Malaria: Blood, Sweat and Tears photographic exhibition in Ghana
20 April 2012, GHANA, Accra: - Malaria Consortium launched today Adam Nadel's Malaria: Blood, Sweat and Tears photographic exhibition at the National Museum of Ghana in Accra. Organized under the umbrella of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership and in collaboration with Vestergaard Frandsen, this collection of photos is being shown in Africa for the first time. The launch is part of the commemoration of the World Malaria Day in Ghana and will be open to the public from April 21 for one month. Previously held at the United Nations in New York and at the World Health Organisation in Geneva, the exhibition will be shown at the Mairie de Paris on 18 May 2012.
For more info read Malaria Consortium Press release Malaria Consortium press release
United Nations / Roll Back Malaria Partnership video of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
19 April 2012, New York, USA: - "Let us build and strengthen our partnership. Let us Roll Back Malaria and realize our vision of a malaria-free world. "
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
View the full statement on RBM YouTube
RBM's Princess Astrid of Belgium to Highlight Fight Against Malaria in Indonesia in lead-up to World Malaria Day 2012
12 April 2012, Jakarta, INDONESIA: - RBM's Special Representative, Her Royal Highness (HRH) Princess Astrid of Belgium, has undertaken a tour of Singapore and Indonesia to encourage greater political commitment to global malaria control efforts. The Princess, who has served as Special Representative for RBM since 2007, has visited malaria research centers and met with government officials and business leaders in Singapore before arriving at the Republic of Indonesia to highlight the successes the government and partners have made in the fight against malaria. While in Indonesia (April 12-15), HRH Princess Astrid will participate in the launch of a national RBM Partnership under the leadership of Vice President Boediono and the Minister of Health, Dr. Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih. She will meet with Vice-President Boediono, First Lady Madam Kristiani Herawati and Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr R.M. Marty M. Natalegawa to discuss the important role Indonesia will play in overcoming critical challenges in malaria control. Indonesia is a key member of the G20, Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The Princess will also meet with the Secretary-General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Surin Pitsuwan to help strengthen high-level political support for malaria control in the region.
View RBM press release
Hong Kong Popstars – Janice and Jill Vidal – lend their voice to fight malaria in Asia and beyond
5 April 2012, Hong Kong: - Hong Kong actresses and singers, Janice and Jill Vidal have teamed up with the Roll Back Malaria Partnership (RBM) to bring attention to the plight of millions who needlessly suffer from malaria every day. The celebrity twins reached out to their fans in Asia and around the world to raise awareness of the issue. At a press conference in Hong Kong today they also announced their plans to join the Roll Back Malaria Partnership on a field visit of malaria control programs in Indonesia. Jill and Janice were visibly excited to lend their voices to the fight against malaria, affirming that "united, the world can and will overcome the disease." Janice and Jill encouraged young people throughout Asia and the world to join the Roll Back Malaria Partnership in commemorating World Malaria Day on April 25th, 2012.
View RBM press release
RBM welcomes simplified procedures for Global Fund's grant administration
3 April 2012, Geneva, SWITZERLAND: - The Roll Back Malaria Partnership welcomes a recent announcement by the Global Fund that its grant administration process will be simplified, making it easier for countries to access funding and continue operations in the field. France's Board member, Mireille Guigaz, said the Global Fund needs to get back to allowing countries to scale-up treatment and prevention programs and should not wait until the next donor replenishment cycle begins in 2014 to do so. "The Global Fund is back and that is very important for us," she said. The recent funding contributions to the Global Fund by Japan and Germany show increasing donor confidence in an organization that is currently undergoing substantial transformation. "These reforms are putting the Global Fund on a firm footing to save more lives and to deliver on our new strategy of engaging more effectively with our partners at country level," said the Global Fund's Board Chair, Simon Bland.
Read full press release by the Global Fund
DFID to fund winning proposals for health research
26 March 2012, London, UK: - Developing new technologies to address diseases of poverty is at the heart of a competition DFID launched earlier this month to boost health research. While the competition is open to all areas of work, malaria drugs, in particular for P. vivax and malaria in pregnancy, diagnostics and insecticides are topics of particular interest. Applications are being accepted until April 23 2012.
More info on DFID web site
RBM publishes 2012 "roadmaps" for tracking progress in malaria-endemic countries
6 March 2012, Geneva, SWITZERLAND: - New "roadmaps" will allow RBM partners to track progress in malaria control in countries for the year 2012. Published yesterday, the 17 roadmaps will assist malaria-endemic countries in continuing the scale up of malaria control interventions. The country roadmaps were first produced in 2009 and have since become an essential tool for guiding donors and implementation partners. They have also enabled advocates to leverage support and produce comprehensive reporting on country progress. Additional 31 roadmaps will be published by the end of March 2012, bringing the total number of endemic countries using this tool to 48.
View 2012 RBM roadmaps
12th RBM Harmonization Working Group Meeting
5-6 March 2012, Nairobi, KENYA: - At a technical meeting, organized by the RBM's Harmonization Working Group, RBM international and country partners and malaria national control programme managers will review challenges in malaria-endemic countries and assess country needs for external support. One of the key expected outputs of the meeting is developing concrete strategies for resource mobilization in a changing global context.
More info on Harmonization Working Group
Dr Thomas Teuscher takes office as ad interim Executive Director of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership (RBM)
1 March 2012, Geneva, SWITZERLAND: - With the departure of Professor Awa Marie Coll-Seck today, Dr Teuscher stepped into the position of Executive Director ad interim of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership. The appointment of a new Executive Director is expected to be announced in May 2012.
Dr Teuscher joined the Roll Back Malaria Cabinet Project as a Senior Adviser in 2000. During his tenure, Dr Teuscher helped to facilitate RBM's transition from a partnership built on the strength of loose ties to a well-structured, accountable, and internationally recognized body for the coordination of global and regional malaria control efforts. He has played a key role in strengthening RBM's governance and decision-making processes, in setting increasingly ambitious goals and priorities for the Partnership, in expanding the reach of the Partnership by forging strategic alliances, and in developing the strategic planning processes for the Partnership so it can reach its global goals.
Before joining RBM Dr Teuscher worked for twenty years in rural Africa as a physician, public health specialist, project manager, planning and policy adviser, and director of health research consortia. Dr Teuscher has authored over 40 peer-reviewed papers on public health topics focused on generating evidence that informs public health policy, and quality of care in developing countries.
More info
Theme for World Malaria Day 2012: "Sustain Gains, Save Lives: Invest in Malaria"
27 February 2012, Geneva, SWITZERLAND: - Every year the malaria community commemorates World Malaria Day on 25 April. The theme for World Malaria Day 2012 - "Sustain Gains, Save Lives: Invest in Malaria" focuses on the critical need for continued investment in malaria control to safeguard the gains that have been made over the past decade and to promote health and development in malaria-endemic countries. RBM Partners are invited to add their own slogan and key messages under this umbrella theme to reflect their areas of engagement and shed light on particular aspects of malaria control.
For more guidance, information and resources visit World Malaria Day 2012 website
RBM Procurement & Supply Chain Management Working Group (PSMWG)
27 February 2012, Geneva, SWITZERLAND: - The RBM Procurement & Supply Chain Management Working Group (PSMWG) is gathering today for its 8th international meeting (PSM8) to discuss current and upcoming challenges that should be addressed by the PSMWG in 2012 and 2013. Workplans for each workstream will be developed to increase coordination, avoiding duplication and fill current gaps.
More info on RBM Procurement & Supply Chain Management Working Group
View 8th PSMWG Meeting Agenda
Delivery of child-friendly antimalarial hits the 100 million mark
22 February 2012, Geneva, SWITZERLAND: - One hundred million treatments of Coartem® Dispersible (artemether-lumefantrine), an antimalarial developed especially for children with Plasmodium falciparum malaria, have been delivered by Novartis to 39 malaria-endemic countries, Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) announced today.
Read MMV Press Release
More news from MMV
One step closer to blocking the transmission of malaria: Pioneering MMV research published in PLoS Medicine compares the activity of antimalarial medicines at every step of the parasite's lifecycle.
Pyramax® receives positive opinion from the EMA: This new antimalarial is indicated for P. falciparum and blood stage P. vivax malaria.
Prof Awa Marie Coll-Seck reflects on her tenure as Executive Director of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership
20 February 2012, Geneva, SWITZERLAND: - After eight years at the helm of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership (RBM), Professor Awa Marie Coll-Seck decided that she would not renew her mandate as Executive Director. She stated: "I am particularly happy and proud of the work accomplished, but the time has come for me to consider new horizons."
At a ceremony held in Geneva, Professor Coll-Seck was warmly congratulated by a number of public figures and directors of international organizations.
The Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, transmitted a personal message to Dr Coll-Seck: "You have made an invaluable contribution to the fight against malaria (...). I have been profoundly inspired by your dedication to this cause, (…) and I am heartened by how much Roll Back Malaria has progressed with you at its helm".
Professor Coll-Seck's departure date is set for 29 February 2012. A selection process for a new RBM Executive Director is currently underway, and the RBM Board will announce the new appointment at its 22nd meeting in May 2012.
Read Leadership interview with Dr Awa Marie Coll-Seck
View RBM Flickr Photo gallery on Prof Coll-Seck Farewell Party at WHO
Malaria Advocates Identify Priority Messages and Targets for 2012
6 – 7 February 2012, London, UK: - RBM advocates and members of the RBM Partnership's Malaria Advocacy Working Group are gathering in London today to identify opportunities for malaria advocacy and prioritize key activities that organizations within RBM could jointly undertake in 2012.
More info on RBM Malaria Advocacy Working Group (MAWG)
View Agenda of The Eighth Meeting of the RBM Malaria Advocacy Working Group
7th Vector Control Working Group (VCWG) meeting
6 – 8 February 2012, Geneva, SWITZERLAND: - Member of the RBM Vector Control Working Group have gathered for their 7th Annual Meeting to discuss urgent and emerging issues and establish a work plan for 2012.
More info on RBM Vector Control Working Group (VCWG)
View Agenda of The 7th Annual Meeting of RBM Vector Control Working Group (VCWG)
Health actors get training on resource mobilisation for malaria
5 February 2012, London, UK: - Against the backdrop of diminishing financing for global health and at a time when malaria-endemic countries scale-up their efforts to meet the 2015 MDGs, members of the malaria community gathered in London to participate in a training, focused on the current funding landscape and opportunities. The event, organised by the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, featured a session on the funding mechanism of the World Bank's International Development Association (IDA). Guest speakers include representatives of the African Union Commission, the Office of the UN Secretary General's Special Envoy for Malaria and the African Leaders Malaria Alliance.
View the training agenda and presentations
The Global Fund: 10 Years of Impact
31 January 2012, Geneva, SWITZERLAND: - In 2012, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria is celebrating 10 years of saving lives. Over its lifetime the Global Fund has made a major contribution to reducing dramatically malaria in Africa and the world.
Yesterday in Paris, Friends of the Global Fund Europe, the Global Fund and its partners held a meeting to commemorate 10 years of partnership with the Global Fund for more impact.
View video clip
More info on A decade of European support to the Global Fund
RBM's Good Will Ambassador Becomes First African Woman
to Receive World Economic Forum's Crystal Award for humanitarian work for women and children, in particular for malaria control
25 January 2012, Davos, SWITZERLAND: - Yvonne Chaka Chaka, renowned singer-songwriter and Goodwill Ambassador for the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, has become the first African woman to receive the World Economic Forum's Crystal Award. The Award is given each year to successful artists who have used their art to 'improve the state of the world', according to the Forum.
View press release
Yvonne Chaka Chaka and Prof Awa Coll-Seck thanked African Union Ambassadors in Geneva for their commitment to global malaria control and urged continued efforts.
More info on RBM Flickr Gallery
18th meeting of the Roll Back Malaria Monitoring and Evaluation Reference Group (RBM MERG)
24-26 January 2012, Dar es Salaam, TANZANIA : - The Roll Back Malaria Monitoring and Evaluation Reference Group (RBM MERG) meeting brought together RBM MERG partners to discuss endemic country needs for strenthening monitoring and evaluation systems. Key discussion themes also included challenges and innovations in measuring case management, recent disease burden estimates, and measurement of malaria in low-endemicity or elimination settings. Participants received updates from partner organizations and reviewed the ongoing work of RBM MERG task force.
More info
Private sector to take a larger role in fighting malaria in endemic countries
22 January 2012, Geneva, SWITZERLAND: - RBM partners have just released new recommendations for harnessing knowledge and resources from the private sector to meet global malaria targets. The new document is the outcome of an RBM workshop on Indoor Residual Spraying, conducted jointly by RBM's Vector Control Working Group and the Global Business Coalition in Johannesburg, in October, 2011. At the meeting private companies were acknowledged as major contributors to malaria control efforts in endemic countries. Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) is a highly effective vector control intervention which protected more than than 78 million people Africa-wide in 2010
View recommendations
African football stars commit to fighting malaria as African Cup of Nations kicks off
21 January, Malabo, EQUATORIAL GUINEA - : As of tomorrow, when the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations kicks off in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, new Public Service Announcements (PSAs) will be aired throughout Africa to highlight the importance of malaria prevention and treatment for African children. Some of football's biggest stars and champions of "United Against Malaria" have lent their voice to this initiative.
View UAM press release
RBM partners fight malaria on the football field
16 January 2012, Johannesburg, SOUTH AFRICA : Organizations from multiple constituencies of the RBM Partnership, including the private sector, foundations, NGOs and academia, joined forces ahead of the African Cup of Nations to hammer out strategies for using the popularity of football in the fight against malaria. Hosted by RBM's Southern African Regional Network, the event highlighted the unique role private sector partners can play in the United Against Malaria Initiative and in advocacy for effective malaria control.
More info