At its 19^th Board Meeting, the RBM Partnership to End Malaria Board voted in four new Members:

• Dr John Chimumbwa, Executive Director, Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Malaria Elimination 8, Zambia
• Dr Helen Jamet, Deputy Director, Vector Control, Malaria, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, United Kingdom
• Professor Juntra Karbwang Laothavorn, President, SIDCER-FERCAP Foundation, Thailand
• Dr Raj Panjabi, Global Malaria Coordinator, United States President’s Malaria Initiative, United States

Moreover, the RBM Partnership Board has selected Dr Marijke Wijnroks, Chief of Staff at the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria as Board Vice Chair. With these new nominations, the RBM Partnership Board has achieved gender parity for the first time.

As new Members begin their term of office, the RBM Partnership would like to extend its sincere gratitude to the outgoing Board Members – Mr Simon Bland, Mr Kieran Daly, Dr Diane Gashumba, Dr Kenneth Staley and Professor Yongyuth Yuthavong – for their time and considerable efforts to the RBM Partnership vision during their terms of office.

Professor Maha Barakat, Board Chair of the RBM Partnership to End Malaria, said:

“We are thrilled to welcome Dr Helen Jamet, Dr John Chimumbwa, Prof Juntra Karbwang Laothavorn and Dr Raj Panjabi to the RBM Partnership Board, and look forward to benefiting from their insights to take the Partnership vision to eliminate malaria to new heights. These four appointments increase the geographical representation of Board Members, as well as help to further achieve a better gender balance on the RBM Board.”

Dr Abdourahmane Diallo, CEO of the RBM Partnership to End Malaria added:

“On behalf of the RBM Partnership Secretariat, I wholeheartedly welcome the four new Board members. With these new appointments, we are ensuring that we continue to have a broad skill set of leaders in the malaria community to be sufficiently equipped with serving the needs of the malaria-affected countries in the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.”

The Board is the governing body of the RBM Partnership to End Malaria. It includes 16 Board members with deep expertise and experience at a senior decision-making level as well as representation from across the Partnership, including malaria-affected countries, private sector, civil society, donor organizations, and the broader health and development sectors. Board members serve in their individual capacity and are elected for an initial three-year term.

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 mobilizes for action and resources and forges consensus among partners. The Partnership is comprised of more than 500 partners, including UN agencies, malaria endemic countries, their bilateral and multilateral development partners, the private sector, non-governmental and community-based organizations, foundations, and research and academic institutions. The RBM Partnership Secretariat is hosted by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) in Geneva, Switzerland. More information: endmalaria.org