The visit to Bruxelles and Ottawa by the Cameroonian Senator aimed at explaining the burden of Malaria to Belgian and Canadian Parliamentarians and government representatives.

Initiated by the Roll Back Malaria Partnership in collaboration with the Francophonie Parliamentary Assembly (APF), Senator Pierre Flambeau Ngayap met with Belgian and Canadian Senators, Members of Parliament (MPs) and government representatives in Bruxelles and Ottawa from June 1-5, 2015, during which he edified them on the burden posed by the pandemic.

Accompanied by the representative of Roll Back Malaria in New York, Hervé Verhoosel, Senator Ngayap, being a pharmacist and economist, testified the socio-economic encumbrance of malaria in countries where the disease is endemic. According to Hervé Verhoosel in a communiqué, the choice of a Member of Parliament in a malaria endemic country to enlighten donor partners on the daily realities was legitimate. The visit to Belgium and Canada also provided the opportunity to evaluate the impact of malaria on development objectives and illuminated debate on health and issues of global development.

According to a press release sent to our newsroom, discussions during the trip were also focused on the new context of development and the transition between the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the objectives of Sustainable Development Agenda. While the Bruxelles lap of the trip, laid emphasis on the role of the international community in development programmes, Senator Ngayap and Mr. Verhoosel, stressed the importance of world health with particular attention on maternal and infant health.

Senator Pierre Flambeau Ngayap noted that malaria affects mostly children of less than five years old and pregnant women. Thus, the assistance of donors is absolutely necessary in the fight against malaria to rapidly push back the disease.  To do this, Verhoosel added, there is the need for political leadership not only by the UN but also by member states.