Financing

National malaria programmes within the Asia Pacific region are usually supported by three main funding sources:
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1. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (Global Fund), the largest external financier of malaria activities in Asia Pacific;  
2. Funding from other international partners, such as the World Health Organization, Gates Foundation, and bilateral governments; and
3. Domestic funding from national budgets.  

However, these funding streams do not always meet the reported funding needs of national malaria programmes (NMPs), and funding gaps remain. In the latest Global Fund grant cycle (2023 – 2025), funding for malaria-endemic Asia Pacific countries saw a 20% reduction from the previous cycle. At the same time, many countries in the region remain significantly reliant on Global Fund funding, with the Global Fund contributing up to 90% of malaria-related funding in several lower-and-middle-income countries (LMICs). This has resulted in a collective US$478.1 million (~32%) funding gap among national malaria programs in the region, with uneven funding gaps between countries.

These funding gaps mean not all activities planned in country malaria National Strategic Plans can be executed, with countries forced to make trade-offs between coverage of case investigations, vector control initiatives, and staffing at lower levels. For example, interviews conducted by APLMA with the national malaria programme in the Solomon Islands found that while the country had requested funding for Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) initiatives for 2024 – 2026, the Global Fund's allocated funding was sufficient only for 2024, despite local advocacy and testimonies of its advantages. A lack of IRS funding for 2025 – 2026 will result in thousands of households residing in high burden foci being missed, putting additional residents at greater risk of malaria.

It is therefore imperative for countries to increase domestic resource mobilisation to close funding gaps, maintain funding levels, and sustain their malaria responses. The figures below show regional funding breakdowns using data from the latest Global Fund grant cycle (2023 - 2025). Compared to the last grant cycle (2020 – 2022), most regions within Asia Pacific have increased their domestic funding, and reduced their funding gaps. However, Melanesia is an exception, where the proportion of domestic funding has reduced, and the funding gap has widened.