Washington, D.C. (February 13, 2018) – The United Nations Foundation’s Nothing But Nets campaign and Sumitomo Chemical Company, Limited, one of Japan’s leading chemical companies, announced the third year of their partnership to help protect women, children, refugees, and vulnerable populations from malaria. The partnership will support Nothing But Nets’ work in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as the campaign’s new focus on ending malaria in Latin America and Caribbean. As part of the Every Woman, Every Child platform, the partnership helps to advance the unprecedented global movement that mobilizes and intensifies international and national action by governments, multilaterals, the private sector and civil society to address the major health challenges facing women, children and adolescents around the world.
Since its inception in 2015, this partnership has enabled Nothing But Nets to provide 1.7 million bed nets and other lifesaving tools to refugee and internally displaced people (IDPs) at risk of malaria. In its third year of commitment, Sumitomo Chemical will send nearly 630,000 more bed nets that will protect approximately 1.2 million people when matched by contributions from Nothing But Nets grassroots supporters.
Sumitomo Chemicals ’s commitment comes as the Nothing But Nets campaign – for the first time in its history – expands its work to end malaria in Latin America and the Caribbean, where elimination is within reach in many areas. Through United Nations partners in the Americas, nets provided by Sumitomo Chemical will go towards helping to protect the nearly 5.7 million indigenous people and vulnerable populations at elevated risk of malaria in Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, and Ecuador. As in previous years, nets will also protect families in areas of greatest need throughout sub-Saharan Africa.
Between 2000 and 2015, the Americas reduced malaria cases and deaths by 62% and 61% respectively.
However, the 2017 World Malaria Report showed a global plateau in funding, an increase in insecticide and drug resistance in specific regions, and a breakdown in health systems in crisis-ridden areas in regions like Venezuela. In fact, Venezuela has seen a 76% increase in malaria since 2015, the highest burden in the country’s history. Through this partnership, bed nets will be distributed to help respond to this resurgence as well as protect marginalized populations in the Dominican Republic and Ecuador where elimination is within reach.
“We can find hope in stories coming from the Americas, where many countries are close to reaching elimination. But we can’t stop now,” said Margaret Reilly McDonnell, Executive Director of Nothing But Nets. “We are grateful to Sumitomo Chemical for its significant commitment to help ensure that vulnerable populations including women, children, indigenous people, and refugees are protected from deadly mosquito bites.”
Since 2000, there has been incredible progress made to defeat malaria – more than 6.8 million lives have been saved, and child mortality rates have decreased 71% in sub-Saharan Africa. But 90% of malaria deaths still occur in this region. Over the course of the commitment, the Sumitomo Chemical bed nets will be distributed in areas of greatest need throughout Africa by UN partners.
“Our partnership with Nothing But Nets forms the core of our commitment to the UN Every Woman Every Child campaign. This collaboration, along with UN front-line agencies UNICEF, UNHCR and now WHO PAHO, allows all partners to leverage their contributions in a united way for greater impact,” said Ray Nishimoto, Director and Senior Managing Executive Officer of the Sumitomo Chemical Health and Crop Sciences Sector. “For our part, Sumitomo Chemical will continue to innovate new tools and work toward a future where no one, anywhere, dies from a mosquito bite.”
Every two minutes, a child dies from malaria. Nothing But Nets is the world’s largest grassroots campaign fighting this disease caused by a single mosquito bite. Anyone can send a net and help save a life – visit www.NothingButNets.net to learn more.
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Contact
Ryland Devero
Communications & Digital Media Manager, Nothing But Nets
202.854.2350
Adam Flynn
Strategic Communications and Marketing Manager, Sumitomo Chemical
+44 (0) 7738 981712
About Nothing But Nets
Nothing But Nets is the world’s largest grassroots campaign to save lives by preventing malaria, a disease which claims the life of a child every two minutes. Inspired by sports columnist Rick Reilly, hundreds of thousands of people have joined the campaign that was created by the United Nations Foundation in 2006. Nothing But Nets has raised over $65 million to help deliver 12 million bed nets to families in need, along with other crucial malaria interventions. In addition to raising funds for its UN partners, Nothing But Nets raises awareness and voices to advocate for critical malaria funding for the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative and The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. It only costs $10 to help save lives from this deadly disease. Visit www.NothingButNets.net to defeat malaria.
About The United Nations Foundation
The United Nations Foundation builds public-private partnerships to address the world’s most pressing problems, and broadens support for the United Nations through advocacy and public outreach. Through innovative campaigns and initiatives, the Foundation connects people, ideas, and resources to help the UN solve global problems. The Foundation was created in 1998 as a U.S. public charity by entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner and now is supported by global corporations, foundations, governments, and individuals. For more information, visit www.unfoundation.org.
About Sumitomo Chemical
Founded in 1913, Sumitomo Chemical Company has grown to be one of the world's leading multinational chemical companies with annual sales amounting to US $20.8 billion and 30,000 employees. Sumitomo Chemical is proud to supply a full range of insecticide active ingredients with the best and most comprehensive technical and regulatory support, from discovery and development of new active ingredients, through technical and regulatory support to supply of the highest quality products. As an expanding global business which pursues leading-edge research and development – over 2,000 employees work in R&D – Sumitomo Chemical continually strives to contribute to the sustainable development of society throughout the world. In line with this approach, Sumitomo has been manufacturing its life-saving Olyset LLIN in Africa since 2003. In 2008 it opened a purpose-built factory with its joint venture partner A to Z Textiles in Arusha, Tanzania where up to 30 million nets are manufactured per year and at peak 7,000 local people are employed. It has also established an R&D facility at Arusha - the only facility of its size in East and Central Africa to be owned by a private company. For more information about Sumitomo Chemical’s Vector Control Dept. and pipeline of innovation helping to #endmalaria, visit www.sumivector.com.
© NOTHING BUT NETS 2017 • SAVE LIVES. DEFEAT MALARIA
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