
To provide a coordinated global approach to fighting malaria, the Roll Back Malaria (RBM) Partnership was launched in 1998 by the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Bank. The RBM Partnership’s goal is to halve the burden of malaria by 2010.
Controlling malaria will contribute significantly to the United Nations (UN) Millennium Development Goals, which all 191 UN Member States have pledged to achieve by 2015. Beyond reducing the disease burden, a successful fight against malaria will have far-reaching impact on child mortality, maternal health, and poverty, which in turn may increase global stability.
The RBM Partnership has grown rapidly since its launch and is now made up of a wide range of partnersâ€"including malaria-endemic countries, their bilateral and multilateral development partners, the private sector, nongovernmental and community-based organizations, foundations, and research and academic institutionsâ€"who bring a formidable assembly of expertise, infrastructure and funds into the fight against the disease.