GlobMal - Global Malaria Technical & Training Support Package, Phase 4

With increased cases and death globally (2019, 2020, 2021) and being off track to meet the Sustainable Development Goals 3.3, malaria is a major global health threat, impacting mainly children under 5 in Sub-Saharan Africa. This burden is exacerbated by new challenges such as increasing resistance to malarial drugs or climate change. The project aims to shape effective global and national malaria capacities and elimination strategies, by providing the necessary scientific evidence and strengthening capacities of malaria-affected countries.

Background

Thanks to the scale-up of effective malaria vector control tools such as insecticide-treated mosquito nets, diagnostics and medicines, malaria deaths reduced from 897’000 to 568’000 over the period 2000-2019. Despite this progress, there were an estimated 619’000 malaria deaths and 247 million cases globally in 2021. World Health Organization (WHO) global strategy and Roll Back Malaria (RBM) action plan, aligned with the 2016-2030 timeline of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), provide overall strategic direction towards the ambitious 2030 malaria goals to reduce malaria mortality by 40% by 2020 (compared with 2015) and to increase the number of malaria-free countries by additional 10 and 35 countries by 2020 and 2030, respectively.

The Global Malaria Technical & Training Support Package (GlobMal), supported by SDC since 2013, addresses Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 3.3 of ending the epidemic of malaria and SDG 17 of strengthening global partnerships and bringing stakeholders together to achieve the 2030 targets. It provides support to the global and national malaria control and elimination effort, generates scientific evidence to inform global malaria strategy and helps translate them into country specific action, through global working groups on vector control, case management (malaria treatment) and cross-sectoral action against malaria, and through the training of malaria affected countries’ scientists and national malaria control managers. GlobMal also brings in Swiss expertise and know-how. The strong role of Switzerland is appreciated, as it is considered a “neutral” agent of knowledge with no political agenda. This strength becomes more important in an emerging multipolar world.

Objectives

To contribute to global malaria control and elimination by shaping global and national malaria control and elimination evidence-based policies and ultimately increase the number of malaria free zones.

Target Groups

Global malaria community through latest evidence for policy shaping and for advancement of technical expertise. Malaria control managers from malaria affected countries for capacity building. Ultimately, populations worldwide of all malaria affected countries.

Expected Results 

Output 1: The Vector Control Working Group is functional and provides effective support to the global and national malaria vector control efforts in all areas related to coordination and strategies.

Output 2: The Case Management Working Group is functional and provides effective support to the global and national malaria case management efforts in all areas related to coordination and strategies.

Output 3: The Multi-Sectoral Working Group is functional and provides effectives support to the multi-sectoral action in all areas related to coordination and strategies.

Output 4: Malaria courses for national malaria control managers in various locations are successfully carried out in Tanzania (2025 & 2027), Laos (2026).