Southern Africa Annual Review and Planning Meeting: 24th - 29th July 2005
Scaling up of malaria treatment and case management- Translating policy into implementation

Southern African countries are ready to scale up malaria treatment through translating malaria policies into implementation towards 2010 Abuja Targets.  Southern African countries in the context of the New Partnerships for Africa Development (NEPAD), the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and WHO will be conducting its 7th joint consultative review and planning meeting on the 25th -29th July 2005, in Maputo, Mozambique. Participants to the meeting will come from the SADC countries and from RBM national, sub-regional, regional and international partners. More than 100 participants are expected to attend the meeting.

Most of the countries in Southern Africa are implementing new malaria drug policies. In this regard, the focus of the conference will be on issues of scaling implementation of treatment policies.

The main objective of the meeting is to contribute to scaling up implementation of malaria control interventions at country level towards attainment of ABUJA Targets and Millennium Development Goals in Southern Africa

Specific Objectives

	To review country progress and challenges including the implementation of Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) supported programmes and progress towards achieving Abuja Targets 2005.
	To update countries on national drug policy profiles and implementation of drug and malaria in pregnancy policies.
	To appraise the scale up of Insecticide Treated Nets(ITN) and explore other innovative strategies for scaling up ITN coverage for achieving the 2010 Abuja Targets
	To finalize country malaria action plans and identify strategies for improving implementation in the next malaria season

Expected Outcomes

	Country progress, performance and challenges including the implementation of GFATM and progress towards achieving Abuja Targets 2005 reviewed.
	An update on national drug policy profiles and implementation of drug and malaria in pregnancy policies provided.
	Scaling up of ITNs appraised and other innovative strategies for increasing ITN coverage for achieving the 2010 Abuja targets explored
	2005-2006 malaria action plans finalized and strategies for improving implementation in the 2005-2006 malaria season identified.

The meeting will be held at Avenida Hotel in Maputo, Mozambique on 24-29 July 2005. Countries will make presentations on progress on 2004-2005 malaria season and on 2005-2006 plans followed by discussions. Country planning will be conducted in-group work that will be followed by plenary discussions. Panel discussions will be used to tackle cross cutting programmatic malaria control issues.

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