London (13 May 2008) -- Speaking at the "Responsible Business Summit" in London today, Dr. Steven Phillips, ExxonMobil's medical director of global issues and projects, described the key role which companies such as ExxonMobil are playing in fighting the devastating consequences of malaria: a preventable disease which kills an African child every 30 seconds and more than one million people a year.

In his address to the conference Dr. Phillips described ExxonMobil's commitment to the fight.  He said: "We’re helping in many ways - from helping to develop new drugs to distributing insecticide-treated nets to the places where they are desperately needed. ExxonMobil is the largest non-pharmaceutical corporate donor to malaria research and development efforts."

Dr. Phillips has recently returned from the ongoing Roll Back Malaria Zambezi Expedition (www.zambezi-expedition.org), a voyage on the fabled Zambezi River to showcase successes and highlight challenges associated with the fight against malaria, as well as distribute bed nets and provide medical treatment. ExxonMobil played a coordinating role and is sponsoring the Zambezi Expedition, which is a partnership of Roll Back Malaria, six countries from the Southern African Development Community, non-profit institutions and private companies.

Dr. Phillips continued: "ExxonMobil's commitment to organisations engaged in important community and social development projects in Africa is now more than $130 million, which includes $50 million committed through the company’s Africa Health Initiative."

ExxonMobil's Africa Health Initiative was established in 2000 in support of the Abuja Declaration on Roll Back Malaria in Africa and its goal to halve malaria deaths by 2010. Since then, ExxonMobil has developed on-the-ground public-private partnerships to fight malaria at the community level, progress treatment and vaccine research and raise awareness and international support. As part of those relationships, Dr. Phillips serves on the board of Malaria No More and Roll Back Malaria, a partnership launched in 1998 by the World Health Organisation, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the United Nations Development Programme and the World Bank. In 2007 ExxonMobil gave 31 grants to 24 organisations in 27 African countries.

According to Roll Back Malaria, malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by a parasite and transmitted to humans by mosquito bite. With between one million and three million deaths annually and 3,000 child deaths daily, it remains one of the globe's leading infectious killers. The majority of its victims are children under the age of five and pregnant women.

Notes to editors:
Exxon Mobil Corporation and ExxonMobil Foundation, the primary philanthropic arm of Exxon Mobil Corporation in the United States, engage in a range of philanthropic activities that advance education, health and public policy in the communities where ExxonMobil has significant operations. Globally, ExxonMobil provides funding to improve basic education and combat malaria and other infectious diseases in developing countries. In 2007, Exxon Mobil Corporation, together with its employees and retirees, its divisions and affiliates, and the ExxonMobil Foundation provided $207 million in contributions worldwide. Additional information on ExxonMobil’s community partnerships and contributions programmes is available at www.exxonmobil.com/community.