topnaman | Malaria blog

The African Leaders Malaria Alliance announced during the United Nations general assembly claims it is “the first Head of State-level assembly expressly dedicated to ending deaths from the disease.” Is it just me or does this simply happen every ten years or so? If you also feel a sense of déjà vu it probably stems from the Abuja declaration signed by 44 heads of state (or their representatives) in 2000. OK, maybe the snarky comments are a bit much. Political will is important, but I have little patience for ceremony. At a glance the new alliance is seeking to exceed the goals set at Abuja (eg. No deaths vs 50% reduction) but in a longer timeline (2015 vs 2010). Also of note, according to the website only 11 countries are participating though some reliable sources are reporting 20.