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World leaders made big pledges to fight malaria at the Kigali Summit

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Last week, leaders came together to make incredible pledges to help fight malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs).

Governments, the private sector, and philanthropists have all pledged to help to accelerate the global fight to beat these deadly diseases with commitments totalling more than $4 billion.

These come on the back of a rallying call from young people around the world who are demanding urgent action from leaders to end malaria within a generation. As part of The Zero Malaria Starts With Me Draw The Line Against Malaria campaign, thousands of young people signed the crowdsourced petition, known as the Muundo.

At the Kigali Summit, the Muundo was delivered to leaders by young people from across the world to demand investment and action with the support of malaria activists, scientists, health workers and changemakers that included David Beckham, Yemi Alade, Pierre Emerick Aubameyang, Eliud Kipchoge and Faith Kipyegon.

By uniting behind the Zero Malaria campaign, they delivered a message to end the apathy and give hope that we can be the generation to end one of humanity’s oldest and deadliest diseases, that is still taking a child’s life every minute.

These $4 billion commitments come at a time when malaria is on the resurgence and funding to beat them has plateaued in recent years – despite more than two decades of progress.

The Summit, hosted by the Rwandan Government, had powerful speeches from Malaria No More UK’s President, HRH Prince of Wales, His Excellency President Kagame, Melinda French Gates, and World Health Organisation’s Director General, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus. In addition to special performances from choreographer Sherrie Silver and writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

Impactful commitments from private sector and philanthropy included £1 billion R&D investment by GSK to get ahead of infectious diseases like malaria and NTDs, dentsu who committed $5m to support malaria and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation who committed a further $140 million for malaria and NTDs.

This show of international solidarity in the fight to beat malaria is an important milestone ahead of the Global Fund’s 7th Replenishment in New York this September – an institution that funds more than half of all malaria programmes worldwide.

The Global Fund requires $18bn in new resources to get the fight to end malaria back on track, these Kigali Summit commitments will recharge the momentum to help secure the money needed from world leaders, including the UK, so we can end malaria by 2030.

Keep an eye on our Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for more Kigali Summit highlights.

Thank you,

Malaria No More UK team