3 October 2019 – This week Ethiopia announced the launch of its national Zero Malaria Starts With Me campaign, to help accelerate malaria elimination. Launched by His Excellency Mr Demeke Mekonnen, Deputy Prime Minister of Ethiopia, the country becomes the 10th nation to join the continent-wide movement. The launch, which took place in Addis Ababa on 1 October was attended by high-level dignitaries, ambassadors, representatives of the African Union Commission and international organisations such as the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Co-led by the African Union Commission and the RBM Partnership to End Malaria, Zero Malaria Starts With Me seeks to reignite a society-wide movement to get back on track efforts that have saved an estimated 7 million lives since 2000, and to help meet the goal of ending malaria across the continent by 2030. The pan-African movement seeks to reinvigorate progress against malaria by: - Engaging political leaders at all levels; - Mobilising resources; - Empowering communities to hold leaders accountable in the fight against malaria. Started in Senegal in 2014, the Zero Malaria Starts With Me continent-wide movement was launched by African Leaders in July 2018 at the 31st AU Summit. To date, Ethiopia, Eswatini, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Niger, Mozambique, Uganda, Zambia, Mauritania, and Senegal have joined the Zero Malaria movement, setting up national End Malaria Councils and End Malaria Funds. Along with the launch of their Zero Malaria Starts with Me campaign, Ethiopia also announced that they will train 40,000 ‘health extension’ workers to deliver health services to remote communities and reiterated their commitment to eliminate malaria by 2030. Dr Abdourahmane Diallo, Chief Executive Officer, RBM Partnership to End Malaria, said: “The RBM Partnership stands ready to support Ethiopia in its efforts to end malaria, and we are delighted that they have joined the ever-growing Zero Malaria Starts with Me Movement. We know that we are stronger when we work together, and we hope that even more countries join our campaign to help save even more lives from this deadly disease. Eliminating malaria is a monumental, but achievable, task and will require all of us stepping up efforts to end the disease. Zero malaria is possible, and it starts with all of us.” His Excellency Mr Demeke Mekonnen, Deputy Prime Minister of Ethiopia, said: “The achievements made to date in controlling the disease are remarkable. Today’s launching of the “Zero Malaria Starts With Me” campaign, however, reminds us that controlling malaria is not an end by itself; it calls for individual and collective efforts that could end the disease. I am personally very much committed to playing my part in achieving the goal and gladly inform you that my government would provide all necessary support for eliminating the disease.” The latest World Malaria Report shows that Ethiopia has already achieved impressive reduction in malaria, with malaria deaths decreasing by 58% since 2000. The Zero Malaria Starts With Me campaign will work to drive even further progress in the country. Contact To arrange an interview or find out more about the RBM Partnership to End Malaria, please contact the RBM Partnership Press Office at Grayling on RBMPartnership@grayling.com or call +44 (0) 20 3861 3747. To find out more information about Zero Malaria Starts with Me and to access the toolkit, please visit https://zeromalaria.africa/ About the RBM Partnership to End Malaria The RBM Partnership to End Malaria is the largest global platform for coordinated action against malaria. Originally established as Roll Back Malaria (RBM) Partnership in 1998, it mobilises for action and resources and forges consensus among partners. The Partnership is comprised of more than 500 partners, including malaria endemic countries, their bilateral and multilateral development partners, the private sector, nongovernmental and community-based organisations, foundations, and research and academic institutions. endmalaria.org Facebook – @RBMPartnership Twitter - @endmalaria