Brussels, April 24th 2008. The German Foundation for World Population (DSW) as part of the European Alliance Against Malaria (EAAM) calls upon the European Commission to improve the effectiveness of its aid for malaria. Two-thirds of international funding for malaria control is now channelled via the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Providing 55 percent of Global Fund contributions, the European Union is a major contributor. Disbursement of this funding, however, is hampered by a lack of technical assistance for malaria. On the occasion of World Malaria Day (April 25), DSW calls upon the European Commission to use its position on the Board of the Global Fund to assure that this lack of technical assistance is addressed at the April 28th
Global Fund Board meeting.

Malaria can be defeated by adequate funding - Malaria is a devastating disease, which puts 40 percent of the world’s population at risk. It kills up to three million people a year – almost six people every minute. Malaria is the biggest killer of children in Africa. “Effective investment in malaria could fight the
disease,” explains Marcus Lens van Rijn, Project Manager of EAAM, “however, funds are not being disbursed at the desired level. To achieve this and the health-related Millennium Development Goals, more emphasis needs to be put on technical assistance to developing countries. The Global Fund Board must place high priority on increasing technical assistance to ensure the quality of submitted malaria proposals.”

The European Commission contributed almost US$ 730 million to the Global Fund from 2002–2007 and pledged US$ 1.263 billion for the period of 2001–2010. At present almost US$ one billion per year is available for malaria resources, having increased ten-fold over the past ten years. However, in order to scale up the fight against malaria, it is imperative that in country capacity is enhanced, with the support of the Global Fund.