What is Roll Back Malaria (RBM)?

Roll Back Malaria is a global partnership launched in 1998 by WHO, UNICEF, UNDP and the World Bank to provide a coordinated international approach to fighting malaria. The goal of RBM is to halve the burden of malaria by 2010.

The RBM Partnership now includes more than 90 partners who collaborate internationally on malaria-control objectives through disease prevention and effective disease management in both endemic and epidemic areas, particularly among the most vulnerable.

RBM is managed by a 20 member board representing stakeholders; malaria endemic countries, NGOs, the private sector, research and academia, foundations, OECD donor countries, and the Multilateral founding institutions. RBM activities are coordinated by the Partnership Secretariat under the leadership of an Executive Secretary.

GAVI draws on its strength as an alliance to focus on areas in which no one partner can work effectively alone and to add value to what partners are already doing. These areas include coordination, consensus building, funding support to countries, innovation, advocacy and communications.

How does Roll Back Malaria work?

A key role of the RBM Partnership is to lead continuing advocacy campaigns to raise awareness of malaria at the global, regional, national, and community levels, thus keeping malaria high on the development agenda, mobilizing resources and strategizing their effective use, and ensuring that vulnerable individuals are key participants in rolling back malaria.

Another role of RBM is to achieve and maintain consensus on good practices for malaria control. There are six RBM Working Groups: Malaria Case Management, Communication, Financing and Resource Mobilization, Insecticide Treated Netting Materials, Malaria in Pregnancy, Monitoring & Evaluation. These Working Groups will consider policy decisions and recommend steps needed for scaling up malaria control activity. Decisions made by the Working Groups are ratified by the Board for implementation by the Secretariat.

RBM also mobilizes technical assistance to countries in support of their implementation of National RBM plans. Partners provide assistance under the RBM umbrella in coordination with the working groups.

What donors and other global partners contribute to, or play a major role in Roll Back Malaria?

The World Bank, WHO, UNDP, and UNICEF launched the RBM Partnership and continue to play an integral role. The partnership now include 90 partners globally, drawing from malaria-endemic countries, their bilateral and multilateral development partners, the private sector, non-governmental and community-based organizations, foundations, and research and academic institutions.

What countries does Roll Back Malaria support?

RBM focuses on countries with endemic and epidemic malaria. There are 14 targeted countries that collectively comprise more than 60% of the risk for epidemic and endemic malaria: Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Benin, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. However RBM works in all countries where malaria is a public health issue.

What are good sources of information about Roll Back Malaria?

What is the RBM Partnership?
The RBM Partnership’s Global Response: A Programmatic Strategy 2004-2008 RBM and Complex Emergencies
Economic Costs of Malaria