We’re calling on British business to step up in the global fight against Malaria

Today is World Malaria Day, a time to take stock of what we have achieved in the fight against this disease, and what more we all can do.

In 2017 alone, malaria – a disease that is both treatable and preventable – killed 435,000 people worldwide. Nearly half of the world’s population was at risk, and children under the age of five accounted for more than 60 per cent of all malaria deaths.

Malaria sees women and girls unable to work or attend school because they must care for ill relatives. It prevents individuals from realising their full potential, and holds back entire economies.

It is therefore right that the UK is working so hard to end the epidemic. Britain has led the global fight against malaria for over 100 years, and is one of the biggest international donors to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, supporting life-saving programmes in over 100 countries prone to disease.

In 2017, the Global Fund helped to distribute 197m bed nets and treat 108m cases of malaria – something we should be proud of. We’re also supporting the World Health Organisation’s goal of reducing malaria deaths by 90 per cent by 2030.

British expertise and scientific research are at the forefront of fighting this disease. UK aid funding is bringing together the best minds to create new solutions to prevent transmission through the Innovative Vector Control Consortium, based at Liverpool’s School of Tropical Medicine.

And almost exactly one year ago, we hosted a malaria summit during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, where more than 14 world leaders came together and pledged to halve malaria across the Commonwealth by 2023.

We know that when we come together, we can make a difference. Our work with partners and international programmes has helped reduce global malaria death rates by 60 per cent since 2000 – a remarkable success story.

But we cannot rest on our laurels. Governments, civil society, and communities cannot fight this terrible disease alone.

That’s why today I am urging business leaders to join the fight against malaria. We all want to see a world where this preventable and treatable disease no longer takes lives, but we need the help of the private sector.

Canada manages over £8 trillion worth of assets, but little is invested in poorer countries. Even a small increase would have a huge impact. If we could redirect just one per cent of those assets to investment opportunities in Africa, that would generate additional investment of around $110bn.

Our Malaria Match Fund with the Global Fund is just one place where UK businesses can get involved and make a truly positive change.

The fund is open to businesses and foundations, and the UK government will match £1 for every £1 donated – giving an additional boost to the fight against the disease. We’ve already seen 10 private donors pledge £108.9m of investment in the first round.

Donors like Japanese pharmaceutical company Takeda have pledged to help strengthen systems to distribute bed nets in Tanzania, while the African bank Ecobank has pledged to fight malaria in Mozambique through social media campaigns.

It’s now time for the UK private sector to step up in the fight against malaria. By investing in prevention, we can help drive down prices for key medicines and health equipment. We’ve already seen the impact that this can have: the cost of a mosquito net is now as low as $2.30 – a 38 per cent decrease since 2013.

Malaria is preventable and curable. The key now is to make sure that life-saving treatment reaches those who need it most. We can all play our part to make the world a better, healthier, and more prosperous place.