GENERAL COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS ADDITION TO GENERAL ASSEMBLY AGENDA: ‘DECADE TO ROLL BACK MALARIA IN AFRICA’

Fifty-fifth General Assembly

General Committee

6^th Meeting (AM)

GENERAL COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS ADDITION TO GENERAL ASSEMBLY AGENDA:

‘DECADE TO ROLL BACK MALARIA IN AFRICA’

The General Assembly’s General Committee recommended this morning the inclusion of an item entitled “Decade to Roll Back Malaria in Africa” on the agenda for the Assembly’s fifty-fifth session.  It also recommended that the new item be considered directly in the plenary.

The Committee was acting on the request of Togo, on behalf of the Organization of African Unity (OAU).  The request was transmitted in a letter dated 8 March 2001 from the representative of Togo to the Secretary-General (documents A/55/240 and Addendum 1).  The letter was accompanied by a draft resolution, also entitled “Decade to Roll Back Malaria in Africa".  According to the text of that draft, the General Assembly would proclaim the period 2001-2010 the Decade to Roll Back Malaria in Africa. 

By other terms of that draft, the Assembly would take note with satisfaction of the continuing efforts of African countries to combat malaria through the formulation of plans and strategies at the national, regional, and continental levels, despite meager resources.  It would stress that the proclamation of the decade would stimulate efforts of the international community to combat the disease in Africa, where its incidence and related deaths are highest.  It would also appeal to actors on all levels to allocate substantial new resources to enable the implementation of the Abuja Plan of Action for the “Roll Back Malaria” initiative.

By further terms, the Assembly would commend the World Health Organization (WHO) for its ongoing efforts to combat malaria.  It would finally request the Secretary-General, in collaboration with WHO and regional organizations, to conduct in 2005 an evaluation of measures implementing the international decade’s goals, reporting to the Assembly’s sixtieth session, after also reporting to its fifty-seventh session.

The Abuja Plan of Action came out of an April 2000 conference of heads of State and governments of the OAU held in Abuja, Nigeria.  The plan of action was geared towards reducing malaria deaths by half by the year 2010, by implementing appropriate strategies at the local, regional and subregional levels.

Kodjo Menan (Togo), speaking on behalf of the Chairman of the OAU, President Gnassingbe Eyadema, said that he was making the proposal because malaria was one of the main causes of death and a hindrance to development in Africa.  It could be stopped if the efforts of African governments were supported by the international

community.  Unlike HIV/AIDS, the international community had the appropriate

medication available at a low cost to prevent, treat and cure malaria.  The financial situation of most African countries was such that most people were poor and malaria continued to cause one million deaths each year on the Continent.  The disease costs some $12 billion each year, yet a fraction of that amount could eradicate it, if the living standards of Africans were improved.

After the OAU meeting in April 2000, Mr. Menan said, the organization met again in July of that year in Togo.  At that meeting, the organization decided to call on the United Nations to proclaim the years 2001-2010, the “Decade to Roll Back Malaria in Africa” and to have this included in the agenda of the fifty-fifth regular session of the General Assembly.  The OAU believed that this would mean that African States would get the necessary assistance from the international community to achieve their goals.  It was an opportunity for developed countries to demonstrate real solidarity with Africa in keeping with the objectives of the Millennium Summit.

The Committee will meet again at a time to be announced in the Journal.

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