In the margins of the annual High-Level Segment of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in New York, RBM gathered health and development leaders from the UN and diplomatic communities to launch the latest report in its Progress & Impact Series to help assess progress towards targets set out in the Global Malaria Action Plan (GMAP) and the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The Contribution of Malaria Control to Maternal and Newborn Health is co-authored by the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and includes contributions from various Roll Back Malaria partners sharing evidence that intermittent preventive malaria treatment during pregnancy and the use of insecticide-treated mosquito nets (ITNs) can reduce the risk of death to malaria within the first 28 days of life by 18 percent. Noting the profound impact that malaria control interventions have on maternal and newborn health – averting an estimated 94,000 newborn deaths between 2009-2012 – contributors leveraged the report to encourage greater partnership between health areas to expand access to services, maximize impact and increase value for money.

During the breakfast session, partners and experts also engaged in a broader discussion on the importance of investing in malaria control interventions to drive socio-economic development moving forward under the Post-2015 Development Agenda. Remarks were provided by representatives of the governments of the Ethiopia, UK, Canada and the U.S., with commentary from many others in attendance.

The report is available online here.