On Monday 13th July world leaders convened in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for the Third International Conference on Financing for Development. Malaria elimination featured high on the agenda with H.E. Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and Chair of the African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA) and H.E. Madame Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, hosting a side session on financing malaria to encourage increased domestic and international support to achieve ambitious 2030 malaria goals. The United Nation’s Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Financing for the Health Related Millennium Development Goals, the Roll Back Malaria-Partnership and Malaria, No More co-organized the event.
Malaria Financing for a New Era: An Exceptional Case for Investment provided a platform to showcase the benefits of investing in malaria, highlighting the need for innovative approaches to increase funding, and accelerate progress. United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, flagged the unique opportunity provided by the Sustainable Development Goals: "As we move toward a new set of global goals for sustainable development, we have an unprecedented opportunity to put an end to the global threat of malaria once and for all".
Malaria affliction, picture by Sugato Mukherjee
Further Investment Needed to Fight Malaria
Dr. Mark Dybul, Executive Director of the Global Fund, reinforced the importance of ensuring country-led approaches stating, "Countries must lead; domestic resources leverage international funds." Dr. Margaret Chan, Director General of the World Health Organization and Dr Fatoumata Nafo Traoré, Executive Director of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership presented the new Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016-203, and the new Partnership document "Action and Investment to defeat Malaria 2016-2030 -(AIM) for a malaria-free world". Together these documents provide technical guidance, and the framework for investment and action for the achievement of the 2030 malaria goals. The AIM document was developed by Swiss TPH and Deloitte Consulting under the guidance of a Task Force of Experts.
