APLMA Secretariat moves to Singapore

On November 29, 2016, the Asia Pacific Leaders Malaria Alliance (APLMA) announced the launch of its office in Singapore, which will also host the Asia Pacific Malaria Elimination Network (APMEN). Because Singapore plays an important role in global health and hosts an active and well-connected research community, the APLMA Secretariat’s relocation is a significant step in bolstering the regional platform’s efforts and advancing a malaria-free Asia Pacific by 2030.

APLMA is a high-level political advocacy platform that was established by heads of government in the Asia Pacific region to strengthen efforts to defeat malaria, mobilize country and regional action, and track progress towards the 2030 regional malaria elimination target. The mission of the APLMA Secretariat is to translate this strong political commitment into action.

In its new location, the Secretariat will continue to benefit from strong leadership from Executive Secretary Dr. Benjamin Rolfe, as well as critical support from a newly formed Board of Directors comprised of influential malaria experts—headed by Dr. Nafsiah Mboi as Chair and Dr. Jimmie Rodgers as Vice Chair. As a host to APMEN, the new headquarters will strengthen coordinated action by national malaria control programs as outlined in the APLMA Strategic Plan 2016-2020.

In collaboration with key partners, APLMA has contributed to the region’s remarkable progress towards elimination. APLMA has supported policy action through expert taskforces, whose recommendations culminated in a joint proposal to the 2014 East Asia Summit (EAS) for leaders to adopt the goal of a malaria-free Asia Pacific by 2030. Eighteen leaders committed to the goal, which was further articulated in the APLMA Elimination Roadmap. The Roadmap provided an action plan for achieving the goal, and was endorsed by the 2015 EAS in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Renewed commitment to malaria elimination was expressed in the Chairman’s statement of the 11th EAS in Vientiane, Lao PDR in November 2016.

The APLMA Board of Directors is composed of the following individuals:

  • Ms. Julianne Cowley – Assistant Secretary, Health Policy Branch, Australia Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
  • Dr. Altaf Lal – Senior Advisor on Global Health and Innovation, Sun Pharmaceuticals Industries
  • Dr. Nafsiah Mboi – APLMA Leaders’ Envoy and  former Minister of Health, Indonesia
  • Mr. Richard Moore – former First Assistant Secretary, Aid Program Effectiveness and Performance, Australia Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and former Deputy Director General and Asia Division Head, AusAID
  • Prof. Tikki Pang – Visiting Professor, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore
  • Dr. Jimmie Rodgers – former Director-General, Secretariat of the Pacific Community
  • Dr. Benjamin Rolfe – Executive Director and CEO, APLMA, and former Lead Senior Specialist for the Pacific, Australia Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
  • Ms. Ruby Shang – Independent Advisor, The Rumie Initiative, Impact Investment Shujog
  • Mr. Edmund Tang – Fellow, Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and CPA, Australia