BACKGROUND TO THE KIGALI SUMMIT ON MALARIA AND NTDS
Taking place alongside the 26th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) andhosted by the Government of the Republic of Rwanda, the Kigali Summit on Malaria and NTDs
will reaffirm commitments to end malaria and neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). In doing so,
it will recognise the critical importance of investing in the fight against these diseases fordeveloping more resilient health systems, improving the response to future pandemics andsupporting healthier populations.
In recent years, the Commonwealth has committed to act against these preventable andtreatable diseases. In 2018 leaders committed to ‘halve malaria across the Commonwealth by2023’, eliminate ‘blinding trachoma by 2020’, and combat ‘other mosquito-borne diseases’. The
2022 summit will enable the Commonwealth to review the progress made since the 2018commitment.
Despite significant gains in the first decades of the century, malaria and NTDs continue topose risks of death and life-changing illness to an enormous proportion of the world’spopulation. In 2019 alone, half of humanity was at risk of malaria, whilst over 1.7 billion people
were affected by the group of 20 diseases collectively known as NTDs. In recent years,
progress against malaria had begun to plateau as investment stalled, and for NTDs,investments have historically been low. For both diseases, the COVID-19 pandemic has put
future gains at risk, and is threatening recent progress. The summit will be a vital moment forleaders to show how we can get back on track to deliver the promise to end these diseases.
Malaria and NTD programmes have been at the forefront of the pandemic response. Thetrusted community-based platforms that these programmes have built and supported over theyears have been repurposed to respond to COVID-19. Beyond their value for testing anddiagnosis, they can be used to support the delivery of treatments, such as vaccines, to ensure
they are accessible to all.

As Rwanda takes the Commonwealth Chair-In-Office and hosts CHOGM, the summit will be ahistoric opportunity to show the world how malaria and NTD programmes unlock the potentialof countries to build a safer world for everyone everywhere. The summit will be a pivotal
moment for the global community to recognise how progress against these diseases has
strengthened health systems and how future investments can support long-term sustainablepandemic preparedness. The summit will also serve as an important call-to-action for
implementing countries, donors, the private sector, civil society, and other key stakeholders tocommit the resources necessary to drive down the burden of these diseases.

WHAT THE SUMMIT WILL ACHIEVE
The Kigali Summit will be an historic moment convening Heads of State and Government,CEOs, philanthropists, scientific experts, global institutions, celebrities, and community
champions, to bring united global attention to malaria and NTDs in the time of COVID-19.
Guided by His Excellency President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, the Summit will:• Showcase how malaria and NTD programmes have strengthened community-based
systems that have been and can be used to respond to COVID-19 and future health crisis.

• Share learning on how to deliver malaria and NTD programming whilst responding to
COVID-19, and drive good practice to maximise ‘win-win’ investments that can build more
resilient health systems.

• Mobilize and profile vital donor government commitments to the fight against malaria andNTDs, including Heads of State and government-level leadership and investment.

• Recognize and incentivise the leadership of endemic countries by showcasing action taken
to fight malaria and NTDs, particularly around new innovations, building stronger front line
health systems and regional cooperation.

• Provide national leaders with a platform to announce their focus on malaria beyond theexisting commitment in 2023, in order to achieve regional and global targets for 2030
across the Commonwealth.

• Provide a platform to sign the Kigali Declaration on NTDs which is country-led and owned.
Provide national leaders with a platform to announce commitments towards NTDs in orderto reach the 2030 global targets and achieve the 2030 WHO NTD Roadmap on NTDs.

HOW THE SUMMIT WILL BE DELIVEREDTaking place at the state-of-the-art Intare Conference Arena in Kigali, the Summit will bestructured over two sessions. The summit will be focused around driving commitments toachieve further progress, guided by the overarching theme of “Unlock the potential: Endingmalaria and NTDs to build a safer world”.

Session one in the morning and early afternoon will deliver commitments and announcements
to accelerate progress to reduce and eliminate malaria and NTDs, and demonstrate how
investments to fight these diseases can build more resilient health systems. Participants will
be engaged through a series of thematic sessions on:• Integration: Securing political support for integration of malaria and NTD programmes
within each other’s programmes, the broader health sector as part of strengthening healthsystems and into appropriate cross-sectoral programmes and vice versa.

• Innovation and new tools: Rolling out and scaling up new interventions/tools that will
accelerate disease reduction. This will include diagnostics, therapeutics, vaccines, dataand surveillance systems, and public health interventions• Health financing: Secure commitments to maintain existing funding whilst exploring
additional ways to increase further funding, including from domestic, donor, philanthropic
and private sources.

• Regional coordination for disease control and elimination: Securing commitments forpolitical and financial support for regional initiatives to enable better coordination among
countries, sharing of information and harmonisation of cross-border interventions that arevital against future pandemics.
Session two in the mid-afternoon will be attended by Heads of State and Government for thehigh-level closing section of the Summit. During the session, the outcomes and commitmentsof the morning sessions will be presented for endorsement and commitment by attending
Heads of State and Government. High level speakers will focus on the importance of continued
investments in health systems, including through malaria and NTD programming, required fora holistic and comprehensive approach to all epidemics.

BRINGING KIGALI TO A GLOBAL AUDIENCEThe Summit will be preceded by a powerful global communications campaign to build
awareness of the event and its objectives.
The event itself will be a celebration of innovation, partnership, and bold thinking to inspire
action. Working with globally renowned creatives, the summit will involve a dynamic andenergising live event longside an interactive and immersive digital experience designed tomaximise the online reach. This will help draw people in from around the world behind thehighly topical message of how to prevent future pandemics through action to tackle existing
diseases.