Papua New Guinea to Co-Host Asia Pacific Leaders’ Summit on Malaria Elimination

Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea – Health Minister Dr. Lino Tom announced on Wednesday the Government of Papua New Guinea's collaborative effort with the Asia Pacific Leaders Malaria Alliance (APLMA) to co-host the Asia Pacific Leaders' Summit on Malaria Elimination. The summit is scheduled for June 6-7, 2024, in Port Moresby.

Dr. Tom emphasized the significance of the summit, stating, "Hosting the Leaders’ Summit will be a timely opportunity for countries in the Melanesian region to share their achievements, renew political will, and address challenges to achieving elimination by 2030."

Aligned with Papua New Guinea’s Vision 2050 and the National Health Plan 2021-2030 theme, 'Leaving no-one behind is everybody’s business,' this high-level forum aims to bring together Heads of State, Health Ministers from PNG, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji, global partners, private sector representatives, and local leaders. The goal is to ensure leadership commitment, sustainable investment, and community empowerment towards malaria elimination.

Marking the first occurrence in Melanesia, the two-day Leaders' Summit will focus on high-level political commitments to malaria elimination on the first day, followed by partner meetings and technical discussions on the second day. The specific agenda and theme are currently being finalized by the National Department of Health (NDoH).

Dr. Sarthak Das, CEO of APLMA, commended PNG’s commitment, stating, “This high-level forum marks PNG’s commitment to saving lives by eliminating malaria as well as taking a leadership role in supporting local communities and forging regional health partnerships.”

Despite significant progress over the past two decades, the Asia Pacific region continues to report millions of malaria cases. In 2022, PNG reported 899,510 malaria cases, reflecting a 38% increase from the 651,963 cases reported in 2021.

With just seven years remaining to achieve the global goal of ending malaria, the Leaders’ Summit will be a pivotal milestone for leaders within PNG and the Asia Pacific region to unite and strategize towards a malaria-free future.

Dr. Tom concluded, “The National Department of Health is committed to providing full cooperation to ensure the success of this important gathering.”