Fully fund Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance a lifeline for child survival by GAVI, UNICEF, WHO, Gates Foundation 11:01am 25th Jun, 2025   Fully-funded Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, is a lifeline for child survival. (WHO)    Vaccines are one of humanity’s greatest achievements. An estimated 154 million lives have been saved over the past 50 years thanks to global immunization drives as part of the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI), led by country governments worldwide and supported by global institutions.    Vaccination accounts for 40% of the worldwide improvement in infant survival over these 50 years, and more children now live to see their first birthday and beyond than at any other time in human history. Much of this success is a result of the investments entrusted to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, founded in 2000.    Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which includes WHO, UNICEF and the Gates Foundation as core founding members, was created to widen the benefits of EPI by helping the poorest countries in the world benefit from new, life-saving vaccines, and increase the coverage of EPI vaccines.    These two goals, one to expand the scope of protection and one to expand the scale of protection, have resulted in a greater breadth of protection against an increasing number of vaccine-preventable diseases.    This intensified effort, including in the most vulnerable parts of the world, has helped to save more lives and further vaccine equity - ensuring children who never receive a single vaccine are reached.    Since 2000, Gavi has protected an entire generation – over 1 billion children – against infectious diseases, helping to cut by half child mortality in 78 lower-income countries.    From 2000-2023, Gavi supported 637 vaccine introductions and vaccination campaigns to protect children around the world against 16 life-threatening infectious diseases. Not only are vaccines delivering protection and high impact, immunization is a ‘best buy’ in health with a return on investment of $54 for every dollar invested.    Decades of progress have made many vaccine-preventable diseases a rarity in the lives of families. Cuts in the investments to Gavi pose a massive threat to unravel this progress.    Infectious diseases do not stop at borders. Where there are pockets of un- and under-immunized children and adults, measles and other diseases can easily spread, as we’re seeing in the U.S. and around the world.    This puts all lives at risk, costs individuals and governments substantial resources to respond to outbreaks and stretches already scarce health system resources. This says nothing about the long-term harms and even deaths that occur to what should have been healthy lives.    Gavi has been the front line to help keep deadly vaccine-preventable diseases at bay, working hand in hand with WHO, UNICEF and other public and private sector partners, most notably, community health workers and families eager to protect their loved ones.    Through routine immunization, Gavi has been critical to maintaining vaccine stockpiles for outbreak-prone diseases such as Ebola, yellow fever and meningitis.    In the next 5 years, Gavi aims to protect at least 500 million children from preventable disease and in so doing save an additional 8-9 million lives. Without continued support from donors, the world is at risk of a dangerous backsliding in immunization coverage – meaning more zero-dose children, more disease outbreaks, more diseases crossing borders, more threats to health and more children who never reach even their 5th birthday.    Every child has the right to health. Our best defense against infectious diseases is continued investment in life-saving immunizations for all.    We cannot turn our backs on protecting all children and all communities from these diseases. Nobody should be mistaken that reversing the gains of the past 25 years of immunization is anything other than a grave threat to us all. It is critical to continue investment in Gavi so that life-saving immunizations can continue to reach all children.    25 June 2025    Gavi-the Vaccine Alliance is holding a high-level pledging global summit in Brussels on 25th of June, aiming to raise at a minimum US$ 9 billion (down from an orginal target of $11.9) from donors to fund health strategies to protect 500 million children from disease and better protect the world from the threat of pandemics and other global challenges.    Gavi, has transformed global immunisation since 2000, protecting over 1.1 billion children, saving 18.8 million lives and generating over US$ 250 billion in economic benefits for lower-income economies.    Gavi is seeking to raise at least US$ 9 billion for its next strategic period 2026–2030. Gavi implementing countries will themselves contribute 46% towards the total cost of vaccines, contributing US$ 4 billion towards the cost of immunisation programmes.    A successful replenishment for Gavi will enable the Vaccine Alliance to implement its outcomes, as set out in Gavi’s Investment Opportunity including: immunising at 500 million children; boosting global health security by responding to 150 disease outbreaks.    “By investing in Gavi, our donors are investing in a world that is more resilient to disease outbreaks, in economies that are more capable of contributing to global growth and in the futures of over half of the world’s children, whose ability to lead healthy, productive lives is so vital for the future of our planet,” said Professor Jose Manuel Barroso, Chair of the Gavi Board.    The Gates Foundation has announced a commitment of US$1.6 billion over the next five years to support Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance—one of the most effective mechanisms for delivering lifesaving vaccines to children and preventing disease in the world’s most vulnerable communities.    “For the first time in decades, the number of kids dying around the world will likely go up this year instead of down because of massive cuts to foreign aid. That is a tragedy,” warned Bill Gates, chair of the Gates Foundation. “Fully funding Gavi is the single most powerful step we can take to stop it.”    The foundation’s renewed support comes amid a global crisis. International development programs have been severely impacted by declining budgets and shifting political priorities. After years of stagnation, foreign assistance plummeted this year, putting at risk the hard-won progress in child survival and public health made over the last 25 years.    “The legacy of our generation cannot be that we looked away as millions of poor children died of preventable causes,” said Gates. “The world now has affordable, effective, proven tools that save lives. Wealthy nations should fully fund Gavi and the Global Fund, the organizations created to get those products to the people who need them.”    Since its launch 25 years ago, Gavi has helped cut child mortality in half. It has vaccinated more than 1.1 billion children across 78 low-income countries, preventing nearly 19 million deaths from diseases like measles, pneumonia, and diarrhea.    Despite that progress, one in five children still lack access to essential vaccines, and outbreaks of preventable diseases—including measles and meningitis—are increasing, threatening to reverse decades of gains.    Gavi’s co-financing model emphasizes country ownership and long-term sustainability. As partner countries’ economies grow, they contribute more to their vaccine programs and eventually transition to self-financing. Since 2000, 19 countries have successfully graduated from Gavi support.    http://www.gavi.org/investing-gavi/resource-mobilisation-process/protecting-our-future http://www.gavi.org/news/media-room/world-leaders-recommit-immunisation-amid-global-funding-shortfall http://www.savethechildren.net/news/we-need-spike-investment-boost-vaccination-public-healths-best-buy http://gavi-csos.org/cso-communities-cfa/ http://gavi-csos.org/ http://www.globalcitizen.org/en/action/make-health-history/ http://www.one.org/stories/vaccine-vaccination-global-health/ http://data.one.org/analysis/vaccines-modern-day-miracle    24 April 2025    Immunization efforts are under growing threat as misinformation, population growth, humanitarian crises, and funding cuts jeopardize progress and leave millions of children, adolescents, and adults at risk, warn WHO, UNICEF, and Gavi during World Immunization Week, 24-30 April.    Outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles, meningitis, and yellow fever are rising globally, and diseases like diphtheria, which have long been held at bay or virtually disappeared in many countries, are at risk of re-emerging.    In response, the agencies are calling for urgent and sustained political attention and investment to strengthen immunization programmes and protect significant progress achieved in reducing child mortality over the past 50 years.    “Vaccines have saved more than 150 million lives over the past five decades,” said WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “Funding cuts to global health have put these hard-won gains in jeopardy. Outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases are increasing around the world, putting lives at risk and exposing countries to increased costs in treating diseases and responding to outbreaks. Countries with limited resources must invest in the highest-impact interventions – and that includes vaccines.”    Rising outbreaks and strained health systems    Measles is making an especially dangerous comeback. The number of cases has been increasing year on year since 2021, tracking the reductions in immunization coverage that occurred during and since the COVID-19 pandemic in many communities. Measles cases reached an estimated 10.3 million in 2023, a 20 per cent increase compared to 2022.    The agencies warn that this upward trend likely continued into 2024 and 2025, as outbreaks have intensified around the world. In the past 12 months, 138 countries have reported measles cases, with 61 experiencing large or disruptive outbreaks — the highest number observed in any 12-month period since 2019.    Meningitis cases in Africa also rose sharply in 2024, and the upward trend has continued into 2025. In the first three months of this year alone, more than 5,500 suspected cases and nearly 300 deaths were reported in 22 countries. This follows approximately 26,000 cases and almost 1,400 deaths across 24 countries last year.    Yellow fever cases in the African region are also climbing, with 124 confirmed cases reported in 12 countries in 2024. This comes after dramatic declines in the disease over the past decade, thanks to global vaccine stockpiles and the use of yellow fever vaccine in routine immunization programmes. In the region of the Americas, yellow fever outbreaks have been confirmed since the beginning of this year, with a total of 131 cases in 4 countries.    These outbreaks come amidst global funding cuts. A recent WHO rapid stock take with 108 country offices of WHO—mostly in low- and lower-middle-income countries—shows that nearly half of those countries are facing moderate to severe disruptions to vaccination campaigns, routine immunization, and access to supplies due to reduced donor funding. Disease surveillance, including for vaccine-preventable diseases, is also impacted in more than half of the countries surveyed.    At the same time, the number of children missing routine vaccinations has been increasing in recent years, even as countries make efforts to catch up children missed during the pandemic. In 2023, an estimated 14.5 million children missed all of their routine vaccine doses—up from 13.9 million in 2022 and 12.9 million in 2019. Over half of these children live in countries facing conflict, fragility, or instability, where access to basic health services is often disrupted.    “The global funding crisis is severely limiting our ability to vaccinate over 15 million vulnerable children in fragile and conflict-affected countries against measles,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “Immunization services, disease surveillance, and the outbreak response in nearly 50 countries are already being disrupted—with setbacks at a similar level to what we saw during COVID-19. We cannot afford to lose ground in the fight against preventable diseases.”    Continued investment in the ‘Big Catch-Up initiative’, launched in 2023 to reach children who missed vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic, and other routine immunization programmes will be critical.    How immunization addresses these challenges    Joint efforts by WHO, UNICEF, Gavi and partners have helped countries expand access to vaccines and strengthen immunization systems through primary health care, even in the face of mounting challenges. Every year, vaccines save nearly 4.2 million lives against 14 diseases – with nearly half of these lives saved in the African region.    Vaccination campaigns have led to the elimination of meningitis A in Africa’s meningitis belt, while a new vaccine that protects against five strains of meningitis holds promise for broader protection, with efforts underway to expand its use for outbreak response and prevention.    Progress has also been made in reducing yellow fever cases and deaths through increasing routine immunization coverage and emergency vaccine stockpiles, but recent outbreaks in Africa and in the Region of the Americas highlight the risks in areas with no reported cases in the past, low routine vaccination coverage and gaps in preventive campaigns.    In addition, the past two years have seen substantial progress in other areas of immunization. In the African region, which has the highest cervical cancer burden in the world, HPV vaccine coverage nearly doubled between 2020 and 2023 from 21 per cent to 40 per cent, reflecting a concerted global effort towards eliminating cervical cancer. The progress in immunization also includes increases in global coverage of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines, particularly in the South-East Asia Region, alongside introductions in Chad and Somalia, countries with high disease burden.    Another milestone is the sub-national introduction of malaria vaccines in nearly 20 African countries, laying the foundation to save half a million additional lives by 2035 as more countries adopt the vaccines and scale-up accelerates as part of the tools to fight malaria.    Call to action    UNICEF, WHO, and Gavi urgently call for parents, the public, and politicians to strengthen support for immunization. The agencies emphasize the need for sustained investment in vaccines and immunization programmes and urge countries to honour their commitments to the Immunization Agenda 2030.    As part of integrated primary healthcare systems, vaccination can protect against diseases and connect families to other essential care, such as antenatal care, nutrition or malaria screening. Immunization is a ‘best buy’ in health with a return on investment of $54 for every dollar invested and provides a foundation for future prosperity and health security.    “Increasing outbreaks of highly infectious diseases are a concern for the whole world. The good news is we can fight back, and Gavi’s next strategic period has a clear plan to bolster our defences by expanding investments in global vaccine stockpiles and rolling out targeted preventive vaccination in countries most impacted by meningitis, yellow fever and measles,” said Dr Sania Nishtar, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.    “These vital activities, however, will be at risk if Gavi is not fully funded for the next five years and we call on our donors to support our mission in the interests of keeping everyone, everywhere, safer from preventable diseases.”    http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/increases-vaccine-preventable-disease-outbreaks-threaten-years-progress-warn-who http://www.who.int/news/item/24-04-2025-increases-in-vaccine-preventable-disease-outbreaks-threaten-years-of-progress--warn-who--unicef--gavi http://www.unicef.org/take-action/campaigns/immunization-for-all http://www.unicef.org/reports/state-worlds-children-2023 http://www.unicef.org/stories/lengths-which-health-workers-go-reach-every-child-vaccines    http://healthpolicy-watch.news/gavi-seeks-support-amid-global-vaccination-backsliding/ http://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/25/health/kennedy-vaccines-gavi.html http://www.npr.org/sections/goats-and-soda/2025/06/25/g-s1-74554/rfk-jr-vaccine-safety-gavi http://www.gavi.org/news/media-room/statement-response-25-june-2025 http://apnews.com/article/cdc-vaccine-advisers-covid19-rsv-a85baa8a9296fd857af5ce33ae3b6cfd http://www.kff.org/global-health-policy/fact-sheet/the-trump-administrations-foreign-aid-review-status-of-u-s-support-for-gavi-the-vaccine-alliance/ http://time.com/7273414/gavi-vaccine-alliance-sania-nishtar-ceo-funding http://www.msf.org/children-darfur-sudan-urgently-need-immunisation-measles-spreads    * Global, regional, and national trends in routine childhood vaccination coverage from 1980 to 2023 with forecasts to 2030: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023 (The Lancet. June 2025):    http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)01037-2/abstract Visit the related web page
	Next (more recent) news item
	Next (older) news item