On World Malaria Day we mark successes in the fight against malaria, highlight the responsibility we all have to end malaria within a generation and urge leaders to step up the fight and get us closer to a malaria-free world. This year COVID-19 is threatening that progress and now more than ever we need to call on leaders to act.

Over the past two decades we’ve made great progress in the malaria fight, saving more than 7 million lives and preventing over 1 billion malaria cases. However, as long as malaria exists, it threatens the poorest and most vulnerable, and has the potential to resurge in times of public health crises – like the threat of COVID-19 the one facing us now.

As the world grapples with COVID-19, this World Malaria Day will also highlight the importance of maintaining robust health systems to prevent existing diseases like malaria, alongside emerging ones. COVID-19 is straining national health systems and challenging families, communities and countries. By holding leaders and ourselves accountable to their commitments to end malaria, we will continue strengthening resilient health and surveillance systems to help us respond to emerging diseases while also protecting and advancing hard-fought progress against malaria, a long-standing deadly and dangerous foe.

The theme of World Malaria Day 2020 — Zero Malaria Starts with Me — is a movement dedicated to driving action and making change, and this starts with YOU! Get your leaders to take action using the resources available here.