The Rt Hon Priti Patel MP Secretary of State for International Development Department for International Development 22 Whitehall London SW1A 2EG 8 March 2017
Accelerating progress towards ending malaria
Dear Secretary of State,
The UK is to host the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting next year. We urge you to convene a global malaria summit alongside CHOGM, and to use it as a platform to help put the world on a path towards ending malaria for good.
Malaria affects most of the Commonwealth, with 90 per cent of its citizens living in affected countries. It is both a human tragedy and an economic one, costing lives and billions of pounds in lost productivity and healthcare costs. By driving progress towards a malaria-free world within a generation, we can tackle one of the world’s most serious and widespread threats to global health security, and promote economic development and prosperity. Countries looking to diversify their economies, and increase trade with us, can only do so when key ingredients are in place - including a healthy population able to attend school and to work unhindered by the debilitating effects of malaria.
We have made extraordinary progress in rolling back this disease. Since 2000, new infections have dropped by 62%, saving 6.8 million lives. UK investment and innovation have been at the forefront of this stunning progress. Our unstinting support directly to the world’s poorest people, and through the Global Fund, also embodies ‘best buy’ UK aid. At CHOGM, our government has a historic opportunity to act as a catalyst for quicker progress, getting behind Heads of State currently showing leadership in Africa and Asia, and bringing together the contributions of global business and world-leading scientists to stay ahead of this killer disease. We believe this is part and parcel of the Prime Minister’s vision for a global Britain: committed to international cooperation and partnership, and a leader in technology and innovation.
Your leadership now matters because, at a time when we should be gearing up for the final push, the emergence of drug and insecticide resistant malaria threatens our hard-won progress.
We urge you to harness this opportunity to leverage the UK’s existing cross-sector investment and leadership in fighting malaria. By hosting a global summit around CHOGM, our government can lead the world towards ending malaria in our lifetimes – a 21st century ambition worthy of our nation’s enthusiastic endeavour. Yours sincerely,
Bob Blackman MP Sir Peter Bottomley MP Fiona Bruce MP Sir William Cash MP Rt Hon the Baroness Chalker of Wallasey Rehman Chishti MP Dr James Davies MP James Duddridge MP Nigel Evans MP John Glen MP The Lord Inglewood MRICS Pauline Latham MP Jeremy Lefroy MP Ian Liddell-Grainger MP David Mackintosh MP Jason McCartney MP Anne Main MP Dr Dan Poulter MP Paul Scully MP Andrew Selous MP Rt Hon Dame Caroline Spelman MP Gary Streeter MP Rishi Sunak MP Rt Hon Sir Desmond Swayne MP Nadhim Zahawi MP
cc: The Rt Hon Boris Johnson MP; The Rt Hon Baroness Scotland QC