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Roll Back Malaria in Developing Countries & Africa
Iana Tilaite
UNITED NATIONS, 9 Dec 2009 - Challenges to stop malaria in developing countries still exist, with total 20 per cent of all childhood deaths in Africa. A new resolution "2001-2010: A Decade to Roll Back Malaria" adopred by the 192-member General Assembly calls for universal intervention to eliminate the deadly disease.
The resolution also urges the international community together with private organizations to support the Roll Back Malaria, Global Malaria Action Plan (GMAP). The plan has been described as the first comprehensive draft for global control of malaria. Dr Asha-Rose Migiro, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, said: "The most daunting challenge is to sustain our focus and financing for malaria and other major diseases. Together we can help save lives in every endemic country and community."
Malaria is still a big threat in 109 countries, with 3.3 billion people suffering from the deadly disease. Each year more than 3 million people get infected from this disease and 1 million innocent victims die because of it, even though with the right treatment such as mosquito-bed nets, many deaths could be avoided. From 2001 to 2010 the Roll Back Malaria Partnership has developed "into a global movement" with numerous partners from the research institutions, the private sector, foundations, malaria-endemic countries and multilateral development organizations.
Despite current excellent results to tackle malaria in the world, currently around 85 per cent of people still die from the deadly disease, most of them are children in Africa. In the world malaria is the second in Africa after HIV/AIDS and the fifth cause of death from infectious diseases. Hervé Verhoosel, External Relations Manager for the Roll Back Malaria Partnership in New York, affirmed that the new resolution tackling malaria would make a huge impact on children's lives in Africa and other countries. He also introduced a new campaign United Against Malaria which relates to football matches in the World Cup.
"Football matches will be organized in 2010 in South Africa. A football player talking to a child about malaria would have more effect rather than someone coming from New York." he said. Last year, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called for universal coverage by the end of 2010 to end malaria around the world, particularly in Africa. Starting from now, it is one year left to reach all goals of the partnership between the Roll Back Malaria campaign and the United Nations.
CORRUPTION: - A Crime Against Development
TSHWANE, Dec 9 (IPS) - Corruption is preventing the world from reducing extreme poverty, from averting child deaths and even from fighting epidemics like HIV/AIDS. And it will have a devastating effect on the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals if not tackled directly by each national government.
The way to do this, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Southern Africa representative Dr. Jonathan Lucas, is through the full implementation of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) which most countries are signatories to. Lucas was speaking to stakeholders on International Anti-Corruption Day in Tshwane on Dec 9. "The 2009 message is simple: Corruption is a crime against development, democracy, education, prosperity, public health and justice - what many would consider the pillars of social well being." He said corruption was no longer hidden.
"It is now seen by people across the world as a serious crime, a crime which weakens societies, ruins lives, and spurs underdevelopment." The UNCAC agreement, which was signed in Merida, Mexico six years ago, sets out specific guidelines that countries should follow in order to combat corruption.
On December 14, 2005, UNCAC came into force and became the first legally binding, global anti-corruption agreement, and was "a significant achievement in the fight against corruption" according to Lucas.
In November this year more than 1,000 participants from the 141 signatory countries attended the third conference of the state parties to UNCAC in Doha, Qatar. The "Doha Mechanism of Implementation" was agreed upon as a mechanism to monitor the convention. According to UNODC executive director Antonia Maria Costa: "This agreement will not end corruption, but will enable us to measure and fight it.