This document provides extended guidance to countries that are nearing malaria elimination on preparing for certification. It includes an overview of the certification process and examines the activities required in national preparation for certification. It provides tools that countries can use to organize the documentation required for certification, to prepare a national elimination report and to assess their readiness for certification. Guidance on verification of subnational malaria elimination, a process overseen by national authorities, is also provided. This second edition clarifies the definition of human infections of Plasmodium knowlesi and its implications to certification and includes the template for national elimination report in Annex 4.

The purpose of this meeting report is to briefly document the certification of malaria elimination in El Salvador and in China, the activities, and the discussions of the Malaria Elimination Certification Panel related to certification. The target audience is national programme managers, staff from ministries of health and other departments.

Since 2017, WHO has supported a group of 21 malaria-eliminating countries through a special initiative called the “E-2020”. This report charts their progress towards a common goal: eliminating malaria within the 2020 timeline. According to this report, 8 E-2020 member countries reported zero indigenous cases of malaria in 2020, a remarkable achievement in view of the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic. Maintaining zero cases is a testament to their commitment to protect hard-won gains and keep the disease at bay.

The Fourth Annual Global Forum of Malaria-Eliminating Countries was held in Cape Town, South Africa, from 24 to 26 January 2023. It brought together nearly 100 participants from Elimination-2025 (E-2025) countries and territories. Cambodia, Sao Tome and Principe, and Thailand presented their experiences with accelerating strategies and subnational verification. China and El Salvador shared their experiences, lessons learned, and challenges in strategies for preventing re-establishment. An awards ceremony recognized countries that had made significant strides toward malaria elimination. The report also includes malaria elimination profiles for all countries and territories participating in the E-2025.

The annual bulletin of the Mekong Malaria Elimination (MME) programme is a yearly report that reviews ongoing efforts to combat multidrug resistance and eliminate malaria in the 6 countries of the Greater Mekong subregion (GMS): Cambodia, China (Yunnan province), Lao People's Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam.