Malaria continues to be a significant public health threat in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), particularly in Cambodia. The emergence of multidrug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) malaria in Cambodia in 2008 raised concerns across the region, threatening efforts to eliminate malaria. To address this, the Regional Artemisinin Resistance Initiative (RAI) was launched, aiming to eliminate malaria across all five GMS countries – Cambodia, Myanmar, Lao PDR, Thailand, and Viet Nam.

As the Principal Recipient of the RAI grant since 2014, UNOPS has played a crucial role in supporting the malaria elimination efforts in Cambodia. Collaborating with the Ministry of Health, the National Centre for Parasitology, Entomology and Malaria Control (CNM), and other key stakeholders, UNOPS is working to achieve the goal of malaria elimination by 2025, as outlined in Cambodia’s National Strategic Plan for Malaria Elimination.