History
The Asia Pacific Malaria Elimination Network (APMEN) is a network of countries and stakeholders, committed to eliminate malaria in Asia Pacific by 2030. APMEN, identified in 2008, has gained credibility for its role as a unique platform for malaria programs and other communicable disease leaders to interact with partner institutions and other stakeholders in malaria elimination. View story.
Since 2017, APMEN has been working in closely with the Asia Pacific Leaders Malaria Alliance (APLMA), to enhance and streamline the Asia Pacific’s regional response to malaria. The APLMA-APMEN partnership aims to strengthen elimination efforts through combining the political advocacy and multisectoral access of APLMA with APMEN’s technical expertise and engagement with malaria control programs.
Role of APMEN
The Asia Pacific Malaria Elimination Network (APMEN) is a sustainable, collaborative network for the delivery of technical malaria expertise and uses a brokering approach to connect National Malaria Programs (NMPs) with relevant technical information. APMEN comprises NMPs from 22 Asia-Pacific countries and 54 Partner Institutions. The APMEN Secretariat works closely with partners to facilitate regional and multi-sectoral collaboration around evidence-based practices and research to reach the goal of malaria elimination in the region. APMEN facilitates technical exchange through its three Working Groups on Surveillance & Response, Vector Control and Vivax.
In APMEN’s role as convenor, one of its most valuable contributions is as a platform to bring the network together and facilitate cooperation, collaboration and partnership to reach the regional malaria elimination goal. This not only builds the foundation for shared activities between members, but also provides the opportunity to build consensus and elevate regional concerns and initiatives for political action through the APLMA policy advocacy mechanism.
Mission and Vision
Milestones
- APMEN established in February 2009 with 10 founding countries: Bhutan, China, DPR Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka and Vanuatu
- APMEN established in February 2009 with 10 founding countries: Bhutan, China, DPR Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka and Vanuatu
- APMEN Secretariat located in Brisbane, Australia
- Vector Control and Vivax Working Groups formed
- Surveillance & Response Working Group formed
- Surveillance & Response Working Group formed
- APMEN and APLMA integrated under new working arrangement with co-located Secretariats in Singapore
- APMEN and APLMA integrated under new working arrangement with co-located Secretariats in Singapore
- Afghanistan, Myanmar, and Pakistan join APMEN
- Afghanistan, Myanmar, and Pakistan join APMEN
APLMA & APMEN Partnership for Impact
The Asia Pacific Leaders Malaria Alliance (APLMA) and Asia Pacific Malaria Elimination Network (APMEN) work in an integrated manner to ensure the Asia-Pacific region’s progress towards eliminating malaria by 2030 remains on track, with APLMA facilitating policy leadership and access to essential elimination resources and commodities while APMEN identifying and addressing programmatic needs, generating evidence, building capacity, and supporting national malaria programs.
Combining Health Diplomacy and Science to Defeat the Region's Oldest Enemy
Progress against malaria is one of this century’s greatest public health successes. Over the past ten years, the countries of the Asia-Pacific region have reduced cases of malaria by more than half, putting them on a positive course towards the 2030 goal. But 2.5 billion people in the region remain at risk. In some areas, malaria is staging a comeback-aided now by the Covid-19 pandemic, which is diverting attention and resources. It is imperative that these threats get urgent attention and that the region’s gains aren’t wasted. APLMA and APMEN support the region’s collective malaria response by guiding the implementation of the APLMA Leaders' Malaria Elimination Roadmap – which prioritizes research and innovation, financing and governance, policy and program coordination, and regulatory cooperation for the malaria response.
With a joint secretariat headquartered in the regional hub of Singapore to facilitate cross-border collaboration, APLMA and APMEN support government efforts to eliminate malaria across the region by mobilizing innovations and tailored solutions across our stakeholders. We place particular focus on the region’s most vulnerable communities, where the burden is the highest and the need to redress malaria progress is the greatest. Doing so helps strengthen health systems in those communities and across the region to beat malaria today—and other communicable diseases in the future. Together, APLMA and APMEN stand committed to making the preventable burden of malaria a thing of the past. Now is the time to complete what we started.