French version
Kuwait Invests in the Fight Against Malaria
Kuwait grants Roll Back Malaria (RBM) Partnership Secretariat US $3 million to help coordinate global control efforts
Press release, 12.09.2012
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H.E. Ambassador Nabeela Al Mulla and Hervé Verhoosel, Head of RBM External Relations.
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.
“Kuwait is committed to fighting some of the most pressing global health and development issues,” said H.E. Ambassador Nabeela Al Mulla. “We are immensely pleased to support the Roll Back Malaria Partnership Secretariat in their exemplary work to coordinate progress against malaria.”
Investments in malaria prevention and control have been among the best in global health. Recent peaks in global financing for malaria have resulted in significant reductions of malaria cases and deaths , but bridging the current financial gap of an estimated US $3.2 billion in Africa alone through 2015 has proven challenging in today’s climate of economic uncertainty.
With Africa accounting for 90% of global malaria deaths, this financial gap represents an estimated 3 million lives lost to malaria over the next 3 years.
43 malaria endemic countries worldwide have reported declines in malaria cases by 50% or more since 2000, and many have seen decreases in all-cause child mortality. Despite this unprecedented progress, malaria continues to infect 216 million people around the world each year, killing more than 650,000.
“Health is the building block of all development. When we invest in malaria, we invest in communities and accelerate progress in other health and development areas as well,” said Hervé Verhoosel, RBM Representative in New York, while meeting with Ambassador Al Mulla to finalize the agreement. “We are incredibly grateful for the support of Kuwait, which will help us to scale-up our efforts to ensure millions of lives continue to be saved. Investment in malaria will only foster greater economic development for us all.”
Malaria is a global health problem and a driver of poverty, school absenteeism and illness among vulnerable populations, including women and children. Its impact on health and development has been such that the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced this year that malaria would be a top priority of his second mandate. Sustaining and expanding malaria control efforts will not only save lives, but also help accelerate progress against six of the eight internationally agreed Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
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Media Contacts:
Mr. Trey Watkins, RBM
External Relations
KWatkins@whoun.org
(m) +1 347 931 0667
Mr. Hervé Verhoosel, RBM
Representative in New York and
Head of External Relations
HVerhoosel@whoun.org
(m) +1 917 345 5238
The Roll Back Malaria Partnership (RBM) is the global framework for coordinated action against malaria. Founded in 1998 by UNICEF, WHO, UNDP and the World Bank and strengthened by the expertise, resources and commitment of more than 500 partner organizations, RBM is a public-private partnership that facilitates the incubation of new ideas, lends support to innovative approaches, promotes high-level political commitment and keeps malaria high on the global agenda by enabling, harmonizing and amplifying partner-driven advocacy initiatives. RBM secures policy guidance and financial and technical support for control efforts in countries and monitors progress towards universal goals.