Note to Correspondents

Photo Exhibition in Observance of World Malaria Day to Open

at United Nations Headquarters, 25 April

 

In observance of World Malaria Day, an exhibition celebrating individuals who have contributed to the fight against the disease will open at 6 p.m. on Monday, 25 April, in the North-east Gallery of the Visitors Lobby at United Nations Headquarters.

Entitled Champions to End Malaria, the exhibition features portraits by photographer Platon, whose work captures individuals from all walks of life who have made a difference and helped save lives.

Additional photographs by Daniel Fernando Cima, Bonnie Gillespie, Maggie Hallahan and Ron Haviv will also be on display, showcasing images of the individuals and communities affected by malaria.  Accompanying the images are synopses of critical issues in malaria control, describing the challenges involved in tackling the disease.

Malaria is a leading killer of children in Africa, where a child dies every 45 seconds from the preventable and treatable disease.  Every day, however, individuals all over the world — from students to Chief Executive Officers, bishops to basketball players — are sharing their time, skills and resources to raise public awareness and help the United Nations realize its goal of ending malaria deaths by 2015.  Their combined efforts have seen great results.  The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that 11 African countries cut their malaria cases in half last year, and rates continue to drop across the continent.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will open the exhibition, and statements are expected from Richard Stengel, Managing Editor of Time magazine; Professor Awa Marie Coll-Seck, Executive Director of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership; Suzanne McCarron, President of the ExxonMobil Foundation; and Elizabeth Gore, Executive Director of Global Partnerships at the United Nations Foundation.

Co-hosting the exhibition are the United Nations Foundation and Roll Back Malaria, the global framework for coordinated action founded by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).  Other co-hosts are WHO, the World Bank and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).  It is made possible by the generous support of the ExxonMobil Foundation, in partnership with Time magazine.

For more information on the exhibition, contact Herve Verhoosel, Roll Back Malaria Partnership Secretariat at tel.:  +1 917 345 5238, or email:  verhoosel@un.org.

For more information on United Nations exhibitions, call Jan Arnesen at tel.:  +1 212 963 8531, e-mail:  arnesen@un.org; or Liza Wichmann at tel.:  +1 212 963 0089; e-mail:  wichmann@un.org, or visit http://visit.un.org.

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For information media • not an official record