Contacts: In Washington:
Marina Vasilieva (7 985) 920 7785 (mobile)
e-mail mvasilieva@worldbank.org
Miriam Van Dyck (1 202) 458 2931
e-mail mvandyck@worldbank.org
WASHINGTON, October 19, 2007— The Government of Russia signed an agreement with the World Bank Group and the World Health Organization (WHO) that will see the country commit US$20 million for malaria control in Africa. The contribution marks Russia’s growing role as a donor and active partner in international development efforts. “Russia is expanding its contributions to development aid, particularly in infectious disease control, education and access to energy,” said Russian Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Kudrin, who signed the Memorandum of Understanding on behalf of the Russian Federation. “We are developing our programs jointly with the World Bank in order to achieve better coordination and results on the ground in such countries as Zambia and Mozambique that are recipients of our contributions under the Booster Program for Malaria Control in Africa.” Signing on behalf of the World Bank Group, President Robert B. Zoellick praised Russia’s commitment to eradicating malaria and its overall efforts as a development partner. “We appreciate Russia’s generosity in helping fight this deadly disease, and its endeavors as an international stakeholder in the development arena. The World Bank stands ready to work with Russia to build additional joint development programs that will benefit the poor and the vulnerable.” More than one million people die annually from malaria, and most of them are children under five living in Africa. Malaria is estimated to cost Africa about US$12 billion a year in lost gross domestic product, slowing growth by as much as 1.3 percent per year. Every year malaria infects more than 500 million people around the world “This is a unique and exciting moment in time for malaria control in Africa, and Zambia is on the verge of a remarkable success,” Zambian Minister of Health Brigadier General Dr. Brian Chituwa said of the effort from his office in Lusaka. “We greatly appreciate the support of Roll Back Malaria partners including the Russian Federation, the World Bank, and the WHO that are helping us make this success possible. Together we can bring this disease under control.” The Russia-World Bank-WHO initiative includes: a US$15 million trust fund under the World Bank Booster Program for Malaria Control in Africa for Zambia and Mozambique which will co-finance projects in the two countries with the International Development Association (IDA), US$4 million in support of training programs and capacity building programs for malaria control in Africa to be administered by the WHO Global Malaria Program, and US$1 million for a staff development program related to the initiative. “We have the tools to fight malaria, but what we need is scale-up and well trained people to help with every phase of the response. The Russian Federation's leadership in funding training and capacity development is a critical contribution that will ensure effective planning, management and implementation of malaria control programs on the ground where it counts,” said Dr. Hiroki Nakatani, WHO Assistant Director-General for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, who signed the memorandum on behalf of the WHO. Background Information Russia is currently expanding its development aid program, and recently approved a Development Aid Strategy that aims to increase Russian development assistance to as much as US$400-500 million per year, with urgent human and development needs in Africa and Central Asia, including infectious disease control, among its priorities. The World Bank has been involved in policy advice and capacity building for Russian development aid, and Bank instruments are being used for delivery of Russian development assistance. The Russian Federation and the World Bank are working to further advance this partnership.
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