The Citizen (Dar es Salaam)
Rose Athumani
26 September 2008
World leaders yesterday endorsed a new Global Malaria Action Plan, committing nearly $3 billion to reduce malaria deaths to near zero by 2015 worldwide.
Propelled by tremendous achievements made in anti-malaria fight in some countries in Africa, world leaders attending the United Nation's General Assembly, said far greater gains can be achieved in the coming years.
Leaders present during the endorsement included President Jakaya Kikwete, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Ray Chambers, UN special envoy for malaria.
Others were Margaret Chan, Director-General of World Health Organisation, Peter Chernin, president and of News Corporation and chairman of Malaria No More, Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Bono, lead singer of U2 and co-founder of the ONE Campaign.
Responding to a question from African journalists during a teleconference from New York on Tuesday Mr Chambers, UN special envoy for malaria told this reporter that the challenge of controlling malaria in Tanzania Mainland is big.
He however, expressed optimism that the disease will be put under control in the country when permanent eradication was available.
"Because of the larger population on Tanzania Mainland, the challenge is big. There will be a need for massive treated nets distribution.
I am very optimistic that we will achieve malaria control in Tanzania," he said, adding that president Kikwete is seeking to have coverage of the whole country.
He said:"We are working closely with president Kikwete who is determined to have malaria put under control not only in Tanzania, but throughout Africa."
Mr Chambers said Tanzania has benefited a lot from the Presidential Fund, and still has a large request pending for 8 Global funds.
He said the envisioned coverage will ensure that all African countries are covered so that the disease does not cross over to neighbouring countries.
He lauded positive achievements made in Zanzibar on malaria, but said the challenge is to control the disease from crossing to the Isles from Mainland Tanzania.
A press statement released by office of the UN Secretary-General's special envoy on Malaria - Roll Back Malaria Partnership, said the $3billion funds will support the new strategy on malaria control.
The strategy, the first ever-blue print for global malaria action plan, was developed with inputs from more than 250 malaria experts.
The new commitments announced during the launching include Global Fund to Fight Aids, tuberculosis and malaria ($1.62 billion) over two years and which will include plans for distribution of 100 million additional treated bed nets.
The World Bank will give $1.1 billion to expand the malaria booster programme which supports the rapid scale-up of malaria programmes in Africa, while the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's $168.7 million will help PATH malaria vaccine initiative for research on a new generation of malaria vaccines.
UK Department for International Development pledged £40 million to support the affordable medicines facility for malaria, which the UK encourages the Global Fund to Fight Aids, tuberculosis and malaria to host.
On World Malaria Day in April 2008, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for universal coverage with proven malaria tools by the end of 2010, and appointed Ray Chambers as the his special envoy for malaria to mobilize global support for action on the disease.
"To halt and reverse the incidence of malaria is not only a specific Millennium Development Goal, it is also essential to improving maternal and child health, improving education and significantly reducing poverty," Chambers said.
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