Today marks the launch of the End Malaria Council, a group of influential public and private sector leaders committed to eradicating malaria, convened by Bill Gates and Ray Chambers.
“Ending malaria was once an impossible dream,” said Jakaya Kikwete, the former president of Tanzania and one of nine inaugural members of the council, in a release provided to Devex ahead of the announcement at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Friday. “It is now within our reach. It will take strong leadership and serious financial commitments, but I believe we can make history and end this brutal disease once and for all.”
This is not the first time Bill Gates and Ray Chambers have collaborated. Previously, the co chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Health in Agenda 2030 and for malaria co-authored the report “Aspiration to Action: What will it take to end malaria?” Through this new council, they will mobilize the voices and networks of members around three areas, according to the announcement: “building political will, mobilizing resources, and supporting the development of new tools to find, prevent and treat malaria.”
About the author
Catherine Cheneycatherinecheney
Catherine Cheney is the Senior Editor for Special Coverage at Devex. She leads the editorial vision of Devex’s news events and editorial coverage of key moments on the global development calendar. Catherine joined Devex as a reporter, focusing on technology and innovation in making progress on the Sustainable Development Goals. Prior to joining Devex, Catherine earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Yale University, and worked as a web producer for POLITICO, a reporter for World Politics Review, and special projects editor at NationSwell. She has reported domestically and internationally for outlets including The Atlantic and the Washington Post. Catherine also works for the Solutions Journalism Network, a non profit organization that supports journalists and news organizations to report on responses to problems.
