Dr Ok Pannenborg, The World Bank

3^rd MEETING OF THE GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP TO
ROLL BACK MALARIA
WHO Headquarters, Geneva
2-3 February 2000
Closing Statement
by Dr Ok Pannenborg, The World Bank

Dr Brundtland, Dr Samba, Dr Nabarro, colleagues, friends

We feel that RBM has now entered the operational phase. For the Bank (plus Africa, Asia and Inter-American development banks), that means that we now look forward to working in –within– the Partnership to increase the resources available to roll back malaria, and improve and "target" the use of Bank financing for malaria. Such Bank funding would be most effective if our mutual partners would pro-actively be pursuing the following:

Countries, both in Africa and in Asia and other regions, to prioritise malaria appropriately within their national development plans, and that they will be increasing effective demand and use of resources through country level partnerships with NGOs and the private sector (and with all of us, of course).

Technical partners to ensure that countries have the information and access to expertise which they require to inform their own malaria strategies.

The research community to continually endeavour to improve the tools we have at hand, and the knowledge base for more cost-effective malaria control.

The private sector to explore the production and distribution of new tools and technologies.

Agencies and staff – public and private and NGOs – which work at the community level to go all out to improve household demand for services, and use of effective interventions, including existing partnership modalities such as IMCI, immunisation approaches, safe motherhood, etc.

And, the RBM Secretariat to continue to mobilize – and enforce – the global commitment, co-ordinate technical knowledge, and helping us track our progress.

If we can truly work with all of the partners to complement the role and functions of each other, then we believe that the partnership can be greater than the sum of its parts for people suffering from malaria.

Thus, in the spirit of partnership, we at the World Bank would offer to host the next meeting in Washington, if this were considered to be desirable by you.