GAVI Watch [to 31 January 2015]
http://www.gavialliance.org/library/news/press-releases/

World leaders make record-breaking commitment to protect poorest children with vaccines – Gavi Press Release
Support puts Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance on the path to immunise a further 300 million children and save up to six million more lives
[Excerpts]

Berlin, 27 January 2015 – Hundreds of millions of children living in the world’s poorest countries will receive life-saving vaccines as a result of record-breaking financial commitments made today at the Gavi Pledging Conference, hosted in Berlin by German Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The new pledges, totalling US$ 7.5 billion, will enable countries to immunise an additional 300 million children, leading to 5 to 6 million premature deaths being averted and economic benefits of between US$ 80 and US$ 100 billion for developing countries through productivity gains and savings in treatment and transportation costs and caretaker wages.

Chancellor Merkel was joined in Berlin by H.E. Dr Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, President of the United Republic of Tanzania, and H.E. Mr Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, President of the Republic of Mali, Erna Solberg, Prime Minister of Norway, Donald Kaberuka, President of the African Development Bank, Bill Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, ministers from more than 20 implementing and donor countries, civil society groups, CEOs of vaccine manufacturing companies, UN agencies and others who came together to secure commitments to fully fund Gavi-supported immunisation programmes in developing countries between 2016 and 2020.

Additionally, China, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia made pledges to Gavi for the first time. China’s pledge means that all BRICS countries are now making financial contributions towards childhood immunisation through Gavi.

Developing countries are also increasing their financial contributions towards immunisation. Between 2016 and 2020, Gavi forecasts that implementing countries will allocate a combined total of around US$ 1.2 billion, which is additional to the funding provided by donors, towards their Gavi-supported programmes through the Alliance’s co-financing policy. This country ownership is vital to increasing the long-term sustainability of vaccine programmes…

Vaccine manufacturers
Ahead of the conference, vaccine manufacturers committed to maintaining affordable vaccine prices, a move that will not only help Gavi buy more doses with the money secured but also increase the sustainability of vaccine programmes. Countries whose economic status means they are no longer eligible for Gavi support will still have access to many vaccines at the same price Gavi pays for a number of years.

“Thanks to our donors, Gavi will be able to support developing countries to protect the lives of hundreds of millions of children,” said Dagfinn Høybråten, Chair of the Gavi Board. “We believe that vaccines should reach every child because this is one of the most effective ways of reducing preventable deaths in the poorest countries. The commitments made today will ensure Gavi can make a telling contribution towards the global community’s goal of ending extreme poverty by 2030.”

All donors
The US$ 7.5 billion raised today comes from a mix of pledges from 17 sovereign donors – for the first time almost all donors have made pledges for the full five-year funding period – the European Commission and private sector partners. Of the support from sovereign donors, US$ 252 million was committed to the International Finance Facility for Immunisation (IFFIm).

Additionally, Gavi announced today that the Gavi Matching Fund, a fund that doubles private sector contributions and impact, will be renewed for the 2016-2020 period with the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Netherlands and other sponsors.

The US$ 7.5 billion pledged for Gavi’s replenishment will be combined with US$ 2 billion in already assured resources, including nearly US$ 1.2 billion from IFFIm, for the 2016-2020 period to enable Gavi to meet the US$ 9.5 billion cost of funding vaccine programmes in developing countries over the five year period.

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Global leaders gathered in Berlin to mobilize funds for global immunization programmes – WHO Press Release
27 January 2015
With bold new commitments from major public and private donors during this Decade of Vaccines, the success of today’s pledging conference signals a renewed global effort to dramatically accelerate action to extend the full benefits of immunization to children and women in the world’s poorest countries.

Under the leadership of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Germany’s G7 Presidency, donors have today committed US$ 7.539 billion over the next five years to deliver vaccines and immunization to Gavi-supported countries. With this funding, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance will be able to help countries immunize an additional 300 million children with the 11* vaccines recommended by WHO for infants.

Immunization programmes have acted as a pathfinder for universal health coverage and the development of stronger health systems. The Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP), has set ambitious targets for achieving universal access of vaccines and immunizations and Gavi is a critical contributor towards ensuring these goals are met by 2020.

“WHO sets technical specifications for vaccines and prequalifies all vaccines employed in Gavi-supported programmes ,” said Dr Jean-Marie Okwo-Bele, Director of the WHO Department of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals. “Gavi benefits from WHO’s input on issues ranging from cold chain and vaccine management, monitoring and evaluation, to training and post-introduction analysis of vaccines. Working together with other Vaccine Alliance partners, WHO is committed to ensure that the present gains and investments are sustained, so that countries can increase their immunization coverage and eventually take over full financing of their immunization programmes.”