A child receiving routine vaccination. Photo/Unicef
World leaders pledged support for Gavi, leading to a total
of more than US$ 9 billion secured against a targeted US$ 11.9 billion budget
for its next five-year strategic period from 2026 to 2030.
Gavi is currently the biggest donor buying childhood
vaccines for Kenya. However, Kenya is expected to stop receiving Gavi support
in 2028.
The pledges were made on Thursday at the Global Summit: Health and
Prosperity through Immunisation in Brussels.
The commitments bring Gavi a major step closer
to securing the resources it needs to protect 500 million children from
preventable disease, averting between 8-9 million future deaths, protecting the
world from deadly outbreaks of diseases such as cholera, mpox and Ebola through
its vaccine stockpiles and unlocking US$ 100 billion in economic benefits for
countries.
The Summit, co-hosted by the European Union, Gates
Foundation, and Gavi, in partnership with Global Citizen, was attended by
representatives of 55 donor and implementing countries – including 10 heads of
state and government and 24 ministers – as well as leaders from multilateral
institutions, civil society, private sector and vaccine industry.
Co-hosts the European Union and the Gates Foundation
reaffirmed their leadership in global health by making strong commitments to
Gavi. The Gates Foundation announced a commitment of US$ 1.6 billion,
underscoring its enduring partnership in Gavi’s efforts to ensure child
survival.
Bill Gates, chair of the Gates Foundation said: “In a
constrained budget environment, it’s even more important to focus aid funding
on the investments that really work. And Gavi is exactly that. I don’t know of
anything with a higher impact per dollar in terms of saving and improving
lives. Gavi is one of the best investments I’ve ever made—and one of the best
investments countries can make today in the world’s future.”
The European Commission pledged EUR 360 million, as part of
a total pledge of more than EUR 2 billion from Team Europe – which includes the
EU and its Member States – collectively the largest donor to Gavi.
However, the United States, previously Gavi’s single biggest
donor, said it will not contribute any more resources to Gavi, until it’s able
to “re-earn the public trust.”
The announcement was made via a video call by vaccine
sceptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr., also the US Secretary of Health and Human Services.