Malaria Elimination in Asia-Pacific: A 5-year Review of Progress

As the world battles a global pandemic, we must not lose sight of malaria, a centuries old disease that has claimed millions of lives and one that is finally on the brink of elimination.  Leaders in Asia and the Pacific have consistently championed health security while placing  a particular emphasis on malaria as a disease of the rural poor. In 2015, 18 Heads of Government endorsed the Asia Pacific Leaders Malaria Alliance (APLMA) Leaders’ Elimination Roadmap at the East Asia Summit. The Roadmap sets the direction for an Asia Pacific becoming free of malaria by 2030 and plays a crucial role in coordinating regional action, supporting effective country leadership and brokering policy, technical and financing solutions to regional and national challenges.

While in recent years global progress against malaria has stalled, five years on, the 22 endemic countries in Asia Pacific have made extraordinary gains. At the 14th East Asia Summit (EAS) in 2019, leaders requested a five-year report on the progress made in the region against the Roadmap’s priorities to be submitted to the 15th EAS in 2020.

In November 2020, Leaders at the East Asia Summit recommitted to the 2030 malaria elimination goal, and welcomed ongoing efforts to implement proposed actions in the Asia Pacific Leaders’ Malaria Elimination Roadmap, including the five-year progress report delivered. 

ACCESS THE FULL 5-year progress report here: FINAL_APLMA 5 year progress report_Nov2020.pdf