In an unprecedented move on Friday, hundreds of leaders from the public, private, and faith-based sectors launched the "One World Against Malaria" campaign that will mobilise hundreds of millions of dollars in new resources to combat the mosquito-borne illness.
The campaign, launched ahead of World Malaria Day on Saturday, has a strong faith-based focus. Many leaders expressed assurances in meeting their goal to end malaria deaths by the year 2015 with help from Christian, Jewish, Muslim and other faith communities which have already proven to be effective partners.
"Strong collaboration among governments, donors, international organisations, the private sector, civil society and faith-based organisations has accelerated the progress on malaria," said Ann M Veneman, executive director of UNICEF, the world's largest global purchaser of insecticide-treated bed nets.
All global leaders attending the campaign launch agreed that in recent years they have achieved measurable successes in preventing and treating malaria, which kills 3,000 children every day.
According to a UNICEF report, released Friday, the number of insecticide-treated nets produced worldwide has more than tripled since 2004, from 30 million to 100 million in 2008. And not even half way into the year, UNICEF has already purchased more nets this year than it did in the whole of 2008.
More than 40 per cent of the at-risk population has received bed nets over the last year. Ray Chambers, special envoy of the UN Secretary-General for malaria, is optimistic they will be able to provide universal coverage by the end of 2010.
Through the scaling up of bed nets, an estimated 125,000 malaria deaths were averted in 10 African countries in 2001-2007, and most were averted since 2006.
Chambers noted that in Ethiopia, incidents of malaria and deaths from the disease have decreased by over 50 per cent and Zanzibar has seen zero cases of malaria. Hospital beds in Zanzibar island are now completely free, Chambers said.
"We're moving with such great pace and energy," said the special envoy, who co-hosted Friday's event with Edward Scott, founder of Center for Interfaith Action on Global Poverty (CIFA).
Rapid progress in the fight against malaria is expected to continue through the new model of interfaith cooperation that was unveiled Friday by CIFA.
