ON WORLD MALARIA DAY, DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS THERE ARE NO MORE EXCUSES NOT

TO STEP UP EFFORTS TO STOP DEATHS FROM MALARIA, ONLY WILL, LEADERSHIP, SOLUTIONS

Following is the text of UN Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro’s remarks on World Malaria Day, in New York, Friday, 25 April:

Thank you Ray [Chambers], and thank you all for this tremendous show of support.  I join hands in thanking the panellists for their discussion but also for their commitment to deal with the malaria pandemic.

I am delighted to be here.  This issue is so important to me personally, as I come from Africa where we have big challenges in the areas of malaria and other diseases, but also in my role as Deputy Secretary-General.  In far too many countries, particularly in Africa, and I have to say including my own Tanzania, the vast majority of the population is at risk of malaria.  Malaria is the number one killer of children, as most of you have said, leading to devastation of families and their communities.  Malaria also put an enormous burden on the economy, resulting in huge losses in productivity.  And yet this does not have to happen.  Malaria is preventable and treatable.

As you have heard today, we know what we need to do to significantly reduce malaria deaths and respond to the Secretary-General’s call to action.  We have the leadership -- as demonstrated by those standing here on stage, sitting in the audience and recognizing World Malaria Day around the globe today.  We have the solutions.

And with the support shown here today, we have the will.  There are no more excuses not to step up our efforts to stop deaths from malaria.

Take a look around you at the people who have gathered here today.  We have here not only members of the UN family but also many of our key partners in the fight against malaria -- including high-level representation from the endemic countries themselves, donors, international institutions, foundations and the private sector.

It is critical that we are all here for a common goal -- [Jeffrey Sachs] calls it common humanity -- that is to reduce deaths from malaria, by providing full coverage of malaria interventions in Africa by 2010.

And to achieve that goal, we must follow through on our promises.  And we must ensure that our efforts are coordinated and integrated.

We have to keep our dialogue going.  The bold vision we have laid out today can only be realized if we continue to work together.

We don’t have any more time to lose.  We have a lot of work to do.  Let’s get to it.

Thank you very much.

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For information media • not an official record