The United Nations and a coalition of partners has launched a comprehensive approach to fighting malaria, a disease which – despite tremendous advances – still kills an estimated 660 000 people each year and poses a major challenge to development.

With the participation of world leaders gathered in New York for the 68th General Assembly, the Roll Back Malaria Partnership (RBM) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) launched the Multisectoral Action Framework for Malaria, which calls for greater coordinated action among different development sectors to tackle the disease, which exacts its deadliest toll in sub-Saharan Africa. 

The Framework identifies actions to address the social and environmental determinants of malaria, and calls for current malaria strategies to be complemented by a broader development approach.