The GAVI Alliance opened a new application round from developing countries “in anticipation of continuing strong support from its donors, which currently include, among others, 17 countries and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.”

GAVI Interim CEO Helen Evans commented, “GAVI is determined to continue supporting countries with life-saving vaccines. Far too many children in developing countries continue to remain vulnerable to vaccine-preventable diseases. This new round of applications offers the opportunity for eligible countries to continue reaching more children and save more lives.” The GAVI announcement noted that “although GAVI is facing a major funding challenge, the Executive Committee of the GAVI Alliance Board felt confident that donors would recognise the importance of these cost-effective vaccines and provide the necessary support to ensure that countries which have applications approved will be able to deliver urgently-needed vaccines.” GAVI said that “to continue its mission to save lives and protect people’s health by increasing access to immunisation, (it) GAVI needs to raise approximately US$3.7 billion more within the next five years. GAVI estimates that a fully-funded programme would prevent approximately 4 million future deaths by 2015, and enable the introduction of new vaccines including importantly those that tackle major causes of the world’s two biggest killers of children, pneumonia and diarrhoea.”

GAVI said the deadline for applications is 15 May 2011, allowing approximately six months for countries to prepare proposals. The timely submission of new proposals “will provide donors with clear evidence of the level of country demand for new life-saving vaccines when they meet in June for the first GAVI pledging conference.”

http://www.gavialliance.org/media_centre/press_releases/new_applications.php