On the 25^th of April 2008, the international community will mark the first World Malaria Day.

 

World Malaria Day was established and approved at the 60th World Health Assembly(WHA) in March 2007. It replaces Africa Malaria Day which was first commemorated in 2001. Africa Malaria Day was declared by African leaders committed to rolling back malaria and meeting the United Nations malaria-related Millennium Development Goals.  

World Malaria Day provides a unique opportunity to raise awareness of the devastating consequences of the disease and to mobilise all sectors of society across the world. It is also a day for partners to reflect on and share experiences, to initiate or further exchanges and collaborations, and to show how the malaria burden has been reduced by highlighting malaria control success stories.

 

Investing in Malaria Pays

 

On the first World Malaria Day, the European Alliance Against Malaria (EAAM) has chosen to emphasise that “Investing in Malaria Pays”. The EAMM believes that it makes clear economic sense for both endemic and donor countries to invest in malaria; it furthers poverty reduction efforts and contributes to meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). One of the key prerequisites for lifting people and continents out of poverty is better health; therefore progress in meeting the malaria targets in the MDGs will have a direct and positive impact on achieving the other development goals.

For more information about the EAAM message, read our World Malaria Day factsheet

 

Supporting the official World Malaria Day theme “Malaria a Disease Without Borders”, EAAM is calling for:

• Long term and sustained political commitment, action and resources to fight malaria
• Increased and more effective funding from the EU and European donor countries
• Improved policy and programmes in both donor and malaria-endemic countries 
• Better coordination amongst the malaria community and initiatives
• Better access to affordable malaria prevention tools and treatments/drugs for those who most need them
• Long term commitment to R&D including implementation research

In this context, the European Alliance Against Malaria is planning a certain number of activities around World Malaria Day:

 

BRUSSELS   

 

23 April: A working lunch buffet will be held in the European Parliament (Strasbourg). The event will be hosted by EPF Malaria Taskforce member Hon. Thierry Cornillet and Hon. Anne Van Lancker, MEP, EPF President. The key speakers, including a representative from the Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, a representative from the Roll Back Malaria Partnership and the CEO of the Kenya NGO Alliance Against Malaria (Kenaam) will present the challenges and the current global efforts in the fight against malaria as well as the good results obtained up to now, emphasising the fact that “Investing in Malaria pays’. 

 

GERMANY

 

21/22 April: International Malaria-Symposium "Joining Forces, Synergising Action", Bonn

 

23 April, Berlin: Parliamentary Hearing on malaria in the Committee on Economic Cooperation and Development

23 April, Berlin: Background discussion with malaria experts and journalists

 

25th April, Berlin: EAAM public event, Anti-Malaria Fair - 'Beat-the-Anopheles' ("ring-the-bell' in English). The event will aim at presenting the story of people living with malaria or in malaria-stricken countries.

FRANCE

 

22 April: Malaria Conference at the Pasteur Institute. The event will focus on the latest news related to malaria (science, scaling up and access, commitments).

 

21-25 April:  Concerts

 

26-27 April: Street communications, plays, booths

 

UK

 

25 April: Half day Conference with African Women’s Welfare Association

 

SPAIN

           

25 April, Barcelona: Press conference with Dr. Pedro Alonso and Mr. Juan Manuel Suárez del Toro, President of the Spanish Red Cross.

 

20-27 April: RC volunteers will distribute information material, Regional press conferences will be held.

 

Useful Links

Roll Back Malaria (available in English and French)

Mobilising for Malaria (available in English and French)

 

On 21 and 22 April 2008 the European-African Malaria Campaign Stop Malaria Now! in cooperation with the German Red Cross and the German Foundation for World Population as German members of the European Alliance against Malaria host a high-level international malaria conference in the run-up to Africa Malaria Day 2008.

 

For more information about this event, click here.

 

Malaria Consortium, on behalf of the UK Coalition Against Malaria and the European Alliance Against Malaria, is organising the first Annual Lecture on Malaria and Human Rights, which will take place on Monday 10 December at 6:45pm in London.

The Lecture will be delivered by Professor Paul Hunt, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health, who will be speaking on the links between poverty, malaria and the right to health.

 

Invitation

16/18 October 2007 - Speaking at a forum of leading malaria scientists and policymakers from around the world, Bill and Melinda Gates called for a global commitment to eradicating the disease, which kills more than one million people—most of them African children—every year.

Bill and Melinda Gates called for a global commitment to eradicating malaria, urging scientists and policymakers from around the world to help chart a long-term course to end the deadly disease.

 

Read More

 

22 October 2007 - The European Alliance Against Malaria, the Red Cross / EU Office and the World Health Organization are organizing a half-day roundtable on “Climate Change and Health: repercussions and responses in the developing world” in Brussels on 22 October 2007, from 13.30 to 17.30 - Read More

• Background document on the conference
• Programme
• Speakers' bio
• List of participants
• Minutes of the conference

Presentations: you will find hereunder a PDF version of the presentations made by the key note speakers of the conference

• "Climate change and health" by Dr. Bettina Menne, IPCC
• "Mapping malaria" by Prof. Christopher Thomas, Aberystwyth University
• "The Red Cross/Red Crescent response" by Dr. Calvi-Parisetti, IFRC
• "Mainstreaming climate change in health programs" by Dr. Sinho Sanjay, CARE
• "Early warning systems and monitoring health effects of climate change" by Dr. Maria Neira, WHO
• "Climate change challenges" by Mr. Juan Garay, DG Development
• "Climate change and health repercussions and responses in the developing world" by Mr. Christian Farrar-Hockley, Health and Environmental Alliance (HEAL)

10 septembre 2007 - L'association des « Amis du Fonds Mondial Europe », membre de l'Alliance européenne contre le paludisme, organise, dans le cadre de ce partenariat, une conférence sur le paludisme au Palais du Luxembourg intitulée « FAIRE PLUS ET MIEUX ENSEMBLE CONTRE LE PALUDISME » - En savoir plus

• Télécharger le programme de la conférence