A F R I H E A L T H O P T O N E T A S S O C I A T I O N (AHOA)
PRESS STATEMENT ON THE 2024 WORLD MALARIA DAY
Accelerating the
Fight Against Malaria for A More Equitable World: Enhancing Meaningful Engagement of the Civil Society and
Non-State Actors to Achieve Gender Mainstreaming, Health Equity, and Human
Rights in Malaria Control Interventions
On this occasion of the 2024 World Malaria Day, the Afrihealth Optonet Association (AHOA) expresses its appreciation and continued solidarity/support for the World Health Organization (WHO), Roll-Back Malaria (RBM), and all Malaria Stakeholders across the world on the progress already made to eliminate malaria especially in malaria-endemic countries and among at-risk populations. Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that annually affects an estimated 247 million people worldwide and causes 619,000 deaths. There is presently an approved vaccine for malaria, the RTS, S. We acknowledge there’s still much to be done to eliminate malaria, and we believe this is achievable.
Afrihealth Optonet Association (AHOA) is a global and community-focused CSO network and Think-tank of 2,424 organizations from 107 countries across all continental regions, with over 40,000 members in its Google Group, for the promotion of Development Work, Sustainable Development, and Health - as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being. AHOA uses partnership/collaboration, advocacy, communication, research/evidence-generation, capacity development, outreaches, monitoring, and evaluation (M&E) as strategies; to benefit rural and poor urban dwellers, marginalized, vulnerable, and disadvantaged populations of women, children, youth, adolescents, people with disability, orphans and elderly. The AHOA Network explores the nexus between Health – UHC, PHC, HIV/AIDS, TB, Malaria, NCDs, Vaccines, and COVID-19; Energy and Environment - biodiversity, environment, ecosystems, renewable energy, energy efficiency, conservation, and climate change; Nutrition/micronutrients and Food Security; Gender, Democracy, Good Governance, and Human Rights. AHOA understands and explores the importance of shared understanding in combating all health and sustainable development challenges everywhere. Our strategies transcend any single entity or approach, and showcase the immense power of collaboration; various resources including local know-how, innovative scientific research, the empowerment of communities, and the concerted effort of AHOA members/partners and collaborators worldwide. AHOA is in Consultative Status at UN ECOSOC, and an Accredited Observer status at the UNEP/UNEA.
During the global Colloquium organized by the Afrihealth Optonet Association (AHOA) on 23 April 2024 to commemorate the 2024 World Malaria Day, participants from over 50 countries discussed the ongoing issue of malaria and the need for enhancing the meaningful engagement of civil society and non-state actors to achieve gender mainstreaming, health equity, and human rights in malaria elimination. They emphasized the significance of partnerships, and the need for gender and health equity in malaria control and elimination efforts, including the urgent need for universal introduction, availability, and accessibility of the malaria vaccine(s) as approved by the World Health Organization (WHO); and the imperative of promoting the use of proven locally available traditional/natural and alternate remedies for malaria, with Madagascar being mentioned as having many traditional treatments for the disease. Concerns were also expressed about the impact of climate change and climate crises on malaria, which calls for urgent attention by everyone.
It was the unanimous opinion of the participants, that in ‘Accelerating the fight against malaria for a more equitable world’, stakeholders must unite to collectively promote the “My Health, My Right’ paradigm, and support Afrihealth Optonet Association (AHOA)’s global Network in advocating for continuously ‘Enhancing Meaningful Engagement of the Civil Society and Non-State Actors to Achieve Gender Mainstreaming, Health Equity, and Human Rights in Malaria Control Interventions’. These underscore the urgent need to address the stark inequities in access to malaria prevention, detection/testing, and treatment services.
Partnerships/Collaborations, Awareness, and Gender Mainstreaming in Malaria Elimination
The importance of partnerships between healthcare providers, civil society, and communities to combat malaria effectively cannot be overemphasized, just as the need for promoting continuous awareness among communities and populations about the dangers of malaria, and the availability of essential interventions like bed nets and anti-malarial medications. While expressing the need for new technologies to eliminate the malaria pathogen, it is also necessary to promote collaboration and address potential bureaucratic hurdles, while integrating a gender perspective into all aspects of prevention, treatment, and control efforts, addressing gender disparities and promoting gender equity. The Colloquium urged AHOA to continue raising the awareness about these approaches and advocating for policy changes to enhance civil society and non-state actors’ engagement in malaria elimination. Regrettably, the impact of malaria is not gender-neutral, as pregnant mothers and young children remain disproportionately affected. Thus, the importance of designing programmes that cater to specific gender and lifestyle needs to ‘Leave no one Behind’ needs not be overemphasized.
Health Equity in Malaria Control and Elimination
There should be emphasized the importance of ensuring equitable access to quality malaria prevention, treatment, and healthcare services for all individuals, regardless of social or economic status. To this end, continuous community engagement, holding service providers and policy makers accountable are crucial, as well as collaboration and partnership across sectors and levels to effectively address malaria.
Integrating Human Rights in Malaria Control Efforts
Human rights principles should be integrated into all aspects of malaria prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and control. The inherent rights around malaria disease should be explicitly publicized to enable public education, sensitization and mobilization to access these rights. We highlight the need to reach out to underserved populations to ensure they receive appropriate malaria services, as well as the importance of duly approved local malaria vaccines production for sustainability, affordability and accessibility.
Governments’ Stewardship Roles, Resourcing and Policy Interventions
We emphasize the need for all governments to permanently demonstrate commitments to malaria elimination through diligent and accountable stewardship, responsive implementation of all policies related to malaria and health, and adequate resourcing and funding for malaria interventions. Inclusive here is the persisting challenge of human resources and health workers retention for malaria and health interventions. There is the persisting need for demonstrated governments and partners’ commitments to increased funding - at least 15 percent of total budget to health and significant proportion of this to malaria interventions.
Ensuring Access to Reliable Malaria Services through Third-Party Monitoring and Professional Evaluation
It is important the civil society and communities are continuously engaged in promoting partnerships/collaborations, advocacy and social/resource mobilization, research and evidence-generation, capacity development and learning, outreach and community engagement, and monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of malaria interventions at all levels, to ensure that Gender Mainstreaming, Health Equity, and Human Rights at all levels, every time and everywhere. These include monitoring the distribution of reliable and effective malaria commodities and services to marginalized communities, particularly those in rural areas and less educated populations, often have less access to such treatments. The persisting challenges of malaria prevention and treatment in vulnerable communities, underscores the need for continuous public enlightenment and awareness, and the crucial roles of community people, social workers, and CSOs in addressing the environmental detriment of malaria and advocating for policy changes.
Conclusion
We emphasize that the time for the World to sustain and diligently resource the efforts to eliminate malaria in all corners of the world and among all populations, is now. Let’s eliminate malaria and make malaria history in the world, by 2030.
Signed:
Dr.
Uzodinma Adirieje
CEO/Programmes Director
Afrihealth Optonet Association
(AHOA)
