Key Outcomes and Summit Report of the 10th Asia Pacific Leaders' Summit on Malaria Elimination

‍

This June, the government of Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) in partnership with APLMA, convened the 10^th Asia Pacific Leaders' Summit on Malaria Elimination in Vientiane, bringing Ministers of Health from across the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), senior government officials, development partners, researchers, financing institutions, civil society organizations, and the private sector to reaffirm commitment towards achieving malaria elimination by 2030. Under the theme “Committed to 2030: Regional Action for the Last Mile,” this year’s Summit placed a regional focus on the GMS, comprising Cambodia, the People's Republic of China (specifically Yunnan Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region), Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam.

The Summit offered a timely opportunity to review progress towards malaria elimination across the GMS and celebrated the significant achievements that have brought the region closer to its elimination goal. It also brought together leaders and partners to discuss the remaining challenges to malaria elimination, including cross-border transmission and declining donor funding, and identify strategies to sustain momentum towards the 2030 goal. The Summit was opened by His Excellency Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone of Lao PDR, and Honourable Minister for Health Madame Baykham Khattiya of Lao PDR, who highlighted the region’s remarkable progress towards malaria elimination while acknowledging the persistent challenges faced across the GMS as countries advance towards the final mile. The Summit convened over 110 delegates whose experiences and expertise reflected the diverse realities of the GMS, contributing valuable perspectives to discussions on the final push towards malaria elimination.

‍

‍

Progress towards malaria elimination across the GMS has been uneven, with some countries nearing elimination or have successfully achieved malaria-free certification, while others continue to grapple with persistent transmission and increasingly complex operational and epidemiological challenges. Discussions highlighted the need for differentiated approaches tailored to the diverging epidemiological landscape across the GMS, recognizing that countries are at different stages of the elimination journey. Resounding themes throughout the Summit were the significance of sustaining political leadership, domestic ownership, resilient surveillance systems, community-centred service delivery, cross-border collaboration, and sustainable financing for malaria elimination. Experiences from countries that have attained malaria-free certification – China and Timor-Leste – offered valuable lessons on preserving hard-won gains and preventing the re-establishment of malaria following elimination.

Beyond high-level dialogues, the Summit facilitated the signing and announcement of several significant commitments for the GMS. Most notably, health ministers and senior officials endorsed a renewed Joint Call to Action for Malaria Elimination in the GMS. The Joint Call to Action sets out the need for tailored strategies, sustained political and domestic financial support, stronger partnership, and greater regional accountability to protect hard-won gains. This builds on regional action taken in 2018, when health ministers from six GMS countries signed a joint Ministerial Call for Action at the World Health Assembly to eliminate malaria in response to the growing threat of multidrug-resistant malaria.

‍

‍

The Government of Lao PDR also formally launched a series of key policy instruments that will guide the country's final push towards elimination. These included:

• ‍Transition and Sustainability Roadmap for Malaria, which provides a framework for the country’s transition from donor-supported programmes to domestically-owned malaria programming;
• ‍National Strategic Plan for Malaria Elimination (2026-2030), which outlines the country’s priorities, targets, and roadmap for achieving elimination by 2030;
• ‍National Prevention of Re-establishment Guidelines, which provides operational guidance for the national malaria programme for surveillance, case investigation, classification, and rapid response following elimination.

‍

The Lao PDR Ministry of Health also announced plans to develop, with support from WHO, an integrated roadmap to align malaria programme with TB and HIV responses. The roadmap seeks to optimize health system resources and strengthen the sustainability of core health functions and service delivery platforms that extend beyond single-disease programmes.

With less than half a decade remaining to achieve the 2030 regional malaria elimination goal, the 10^th Asia Pacific Leaders’ Summit on Malaria Elimination marked a pivotal moment for the GMS. The commitments renewed, coupled with an aligned focus on sustainable financing and cross-border collaboration, reflect a stronger collective resolve than ever before to overcome the remaining barriers to elimination and deliver on the region’s malaria elimination goals. The final mile will be a testament to the region’s collective leadership, resilience, and determination to transform decades of progress into a lasting malaria-free future.

Read the Summit Report for the 10^th Asia Pacific Leaders' Summit on Malaria Elimination below: