LOW KEY RECOGNITION FOR AFRICA MALARIA DAY IN

UNCLAS OTTAWA 000760

SIPDIS

AIDAC
SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR OES/IHA AND WHA
USAID/CH/HIDN FOR CHRIS THOMAS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: TBIO EAID KPAO CA
SUBJECT: LOW KEY RECOGNITION FOR AFRICA MALARIA DAY IN
CANADA

REF: STATE 053980


1. Foreign Ministry officials advised that Canada planned no
nationwide public events for Africa Malaria Day beyond an
April 17 announcement by the Canadian International
Development Agency (CIDA) of a C$20 million (from the FY 2007
budget) donation to the Canadian Red Cross for bednets in
Africa and a statement recognizing the occasion on the CIDA
website. The funding announced on the 17th comes in addition
to C$46.3 million already committed for malaria work, mostly
in Africa. Included in the C$46.3 million is C$26 million
previously given through the Canadian Red Cross for malaria
work in Africa.


2. There were, however, commemorative events in Toronto,
where Mayor David Miller proclaimed it Africa Malaria Day in
the city, and asserted that Toronto was the first Canadian
city so to recognize the day. In a City Hall event, Miller
welcomed soon-to-be ex-MP Belinda Stronach and other leaders
in the grassroots "Spread the Net" Campaign to raise funds
for mosquito nets in partnership with UNICEF.


3. Press commentary seemed relatively limited, covering
either the Toronto angle or focusing on the relative size of
the federal government's contributions to fight malaria
globally and in Africa specifically. One local academic
called the Canadian response "pathetic," and in an editorial
published April 24 in the Canadian Medical Association
Journal called the government "indolent" and urged it to
"take a hint from the United States" where the President's
Malaria initiative "is getting rave reviews, because it
transparently focuses on interventions that work in a small
number of countries."


4. Text of the CIDA statement, posted on April 25, follows:

A child dies of malaria every 30 seconds.

Today is Africa Malaria Day - a day chosen to commemorate and
bring attention to a preventable disease that kills over one
million people a year. More than 900,000 of these deaths
occur in sub-Saharan Africa.

The Government of Canada is committed to the fight against
malaria. Working with partners such as the Canadian Red
Cross and UNICEF, we help distribute life-saving bednets to
African families. In addition to this successful prevention
method, new and innovative approaches to frontline malaria
treatment - such as the deployment of community health
workers to diagnose and deliver effective medications will
help in the fight against malaria.

On April 17, Canada announced an additional $20 million to
the Canadian Red Cross to build on our successful
partnership. A single bednet that costs just $7 can save a
life in Africa. The Canadian Red Cross estimates that this
new bednet program alone will save up to 88,000 people in
Africa, mostly children, who would otherwise die from
malaria. Overall, including this new distribution program,
Canada's New Government will have enabled the distribution of
over six million long-lasting insecticide-treated nets.

Canadians can be proud of these efforts. Their life-saving
impact is only part of the story. They also help ensure that
children are well enough to go to school and learn, and that
women and men are healthy enough to work and care for their
families.

Canada's New Government also supports malaria prevention and
treatment efforts through the Global Fund to Fight AIDS,
Tuberculosis and Malaria, to which Canada has provided almost
$530 million, of which about 24 percent is to fight malaria.

These new initiatives and commitment to this pressing issue
will help decrease the suffering and death caused by malaria.

The Honourable Josee Verner
QThe Honourable Josee Verner
Minister of International Cooperation and Minister for La
Francophonie and Official Languages


Visit Canada's Classified Web Site at
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/ottawa

WILKINS