In November 2008, ministers of health, representatives from international agencies, and scientists met in Bamako, Mali for the Global Ministerial Forum on Research for Health. This Forum was an opportunity for delegates to reconvene 4 years after their pivotal meeting in Mexico, where strategies to address the research needs for global health were emphasised. The meeting in Mali was, by all accounts, successful in bringing together a wide spectrum of stakeholders. The most tangible outcome was agreement by the ministers in attendance on a new “call to action”.1 Although there are encouraging aspects to the …