Speech by Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia
on the International Forum on the 50th Anniversary of the Discovery of Artemisinin and on Building a Global Community of Health for All

Speech by Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia

on the International Forum on the 50th Anniversary of the Discovery of Artemisinin and on Building a Global Community of Health for All

April 25th, 2022

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

To begin, I would like to congratulate the International Forum on 50th Anniversary of the Discovery of Artemisinin and on Building a Global Community of Health for All. I would also like to express my full support for all activities and cooperation that have been undertaken to build a global community of health for all, especially the eradication of malaria through the use of artemisinin.

Cambodia, which locates in the Greater Mekong Sub-region, used to have more than 170,000 malaria cases and nearly 1,000 deaths in the 1980s. In 2021, the number of malaria cases had dropped to 3,959 and no death in the last four years, despite the hardships caused by COVID-19 pandemic. This remarkable achievement is born from the implementation of the National Malaria Eradication Strategy 2011-2025, formulated by the Royal Government of Cambodia, which has four strategic goals, including:1) Earlier diagnosis and treatment, 2) Provide treatment by using artemisinin properly in order to avoid Artemisinin resistance, 3) Prevent Malaria transmission by using impregnated mosquito net, and 4) Health education/health promotion through involvement of all stakeholders, especially people’s participation. At the same time, the effectiveness in the implementation of this national strategy is the flexibility adjusted in line with global and regional strategies as well as sharing lessons and experiences with each other. For the future direction, Cambodia will strengthen cooperation with all stakeholders, particularly the People's Republic of China, through Belt and Road Initiative, the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation and China’s South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund in order to fully eradicate malaria.

I also call on all stakeholders to strengthen cooperation based on trust, people-centered partnerships, and multilateralism in order to achieve a global vision "Malaria-Free by 2025".

Thank You!