Geneva, 21 April 2022 – The RBM Partnership to End Malaria is delighted to announce the appointment of Dr. Corine Karema as Interim CEO. Dr. Karema brings to the role extensive malaria leadership experience in national and international public health systems and will lead the Partnership to mobilize efforts to deliver its ambitious malaria elimination goals.

Dr. Karema has most recently served as Special Advisor to the Board Chair of The Global Fund, a partnership designed to accelerate the end of AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria as epidemics. Previously, she was the Malaria Senior Programme Officer at the African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA) and led the malaria experts’ group of the technical Panel review of the Global Fund.

Before these senior technical and advocacy roles, Dr. Karema was Director of the Rwanda National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) for ten years, following five years as Head of the Malaria & Other Parasitic Diseases (Neglected Tropical Diseases) Division. During her time at the NMCP, she led the development of malaria control strategies, policies, and research, which has guided the implementation of evidence-based malaria control interventions resulting in increased coverage of key interventions and reductions in malaria morbidity and mortality in Rwanda. Dr. Karema is a medical doctor and holds a Master’s degree in Sciences in Epidemiology from the University of Rwanda.

Professor Maha Barakat, Board Chair of the RBM Partnership to End Malaria, commented on the appointment: “The RBM Partnership Board is delighted to welcome Dr. Corine Karema as our Interim CEO. Having held leadership and management roles within the malaria community at the national, regional, and global levels, we are confident her extensive experience and technical expertise will prove invaluable.

“Dr. Karema assumes leadership of the RBM Partnership to End Malaria at a defining moment in the fight against malaria. With experience leading Rwanda’s National Malaria Control Programme and working within The Global Fund, she is perfectly placed to lead the global community in advocating for political commitment to end malaria at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kigali later this year and again in the lead up to The Global Fund’s Seventh Replenishment conference.”

As her first engagement in the role, Dr. Karema will lead the partnership’s World Malaria Day activities on and around 25th April. She comments:

“After a career of collaborating closely with global malaria partners worldwide, I am honored to be asked to lead the RBM Partnership as Interim CEO. In this role, I am eager to mobilize malaria-affected countries and their partners to renew our efforts to deliver on the RBM Partnership’s ambitious malaria elimination goals. I look forward to working with partners to continue to deliver the RBM Partnership’s 2021-2025 Strategic Plan. Together, we can achieve a malaria-free world.”

Dr. Karema was preceded by Dr. Abdourahmane Diallo, who provided leadership for the global malaria community since his appointment in 2019 and led the development and implementation of the 2021-2025 Strategic Plan. The RBM Partnership to End Malaria extends its gratitude to Dr. Diallo for his dedication to the fight against malaria over the past three years.

The CEO selection process is managed by the RBM Partnership Board, chaired by the Board Chair, and supported by UNOPS. The RBM Partnership to End Malaria Board follows principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion in its hiring approach. These principles will remain the foremost considerations for the appointment of a permanent CEO later this year.

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 mobilises action and resources and forges consensus among partners. The Partnership comprises more than 500 partners, including malaria-endemic countries, their bilateral and multilateral development partners, the private sector, non-governmental and community-based organisations, foundations, and research and academic institutions. endmalaria.org