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GAVI: The Global Alliance for
Vaccines and Immunization
Background
For more than a century, scientists and public
health leaders have known that preventing infectious diseases is the
most efficient form of health intervention. During the twentieth
century, medical research led to the development of vaccines that
prevent a number of crippling, often fatal, childhood diseases.
However, as a new century begins, the world falls short of realizing
the full benefit of childhood immunization. The Global Alliance for
Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) was formed in 1999 with the mission
of ensuring that every child in the world will be protected against
vaccine-preventable diseases. GAVI exists as a mechanism for
coordinating and revitalizing immunization programs at
international, regional and national levels.
At present, immunization programs appear to save
up to 3 million lives annually worldwide. However, almost 3 million
people still die annually from diseases that could be prevented with
currently available vaccines.
Children in the poorest countries are the least
protected, and the gap between the vaccines readily available to
them and those available to children in the industrialized world is
growing. GAVI is committed to closing this gap through a global
network of international development organizations, multilateral
development banks, philanthropic organizations, private sector
leaders and other parties focused on re-energizing the world’s
commitment to vaccines and immunization.
By significantly expanding the reach and
effectiveness of immunization programs country by country, the GAVI
partners hope to help decrease the burden of disease globally. GAVI
reaffirms that immunization is a cornerstone for health, a key
component of the broader framework of economic development and
poverty reduction, and an essential step to protecting children’s
health and allowing each child to reach his or her greatest physical
and intellectual potential.
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GAVI is a
worldwide partnership
Since immunization is a global issue, it
requires a global solution. GAVI represents an historic alliance of
public and private sector partners assembled into a worldwide
network. These partners are: the Bill and
Melinda Gates Children’s Vaccine Program, the International
Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Associations (IFPMA),
public
health and research institutions, national
governments, the Rockefeller
Foundation, UNICEF,
the World
Bank Group and the World Health
Organization (WHO).
GAVI’s Board of Directors consists of top officials from its members
and is currently chaired by Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, WHO
Director-General. Dr. Brundtland will be followed in two years
by Ms. Carol Bellamy, Executive Director
of UNICEF.
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Objectives
To fulfill its mission of protecting children of
all nations and of all socioeconomic levels against
vaccine-preventable diseases, GAVI has established five strategic
objectives:
- Improve access to sustainable immunization
services
- Expand the use of all existing, safe and
cost-effective vaccines where they address a public health
problem
- Accelerate the development and introduction
of new vaccines and technologies
- Accelerate R&D efforts for vaccines
needed primarily in developing countries
- Make immunization coverage a centerpiece in
international development efforts
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How GAVI will accomplish its goals
The Alliance will work towards its objectives
through the following mechanisms:
- Improving donor collaboration to ensure
effective use of immunization funding and developing sustainable
financing instruments for vaccine procurement
- Working with individual countries to
strengthen national immunization services through enhanced
coordination among governments and development
partners
- Working with global vaccine industry partners
to continue to provide the highest quality vaccines at the lowest
appropriate pricing and exploring a competitive negotiation
mechanism to help bring new vaccines to the poorest populations at
the earliest possible time
- Seeking to achieve a balance between three
vaccine procurement objectives:
- prices that are affordable to
governments;
- adequate investment in capacity to supply
global needs;
- and private investment in research and
development of high-priority vaccines for developing
countries.
- The newly created Global
Fund for Children’s Vaccines is one of the financial tools
available for GAVI to purchase under-utilized and new vaccines and
to provide resources to strengthen immunization infrastructure. It
will also support research for developing new vaccines — against
diseases such as malaria, AIDS or tuberculosis — needed primarily
in the developing world. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
generously pledged $750 million (US$150 million per year for five
years) to establish the Fund. Further support has now been voiced
by the United States Government. On January 10, 2000, at the
opening meeting of the United Nations Security Council, Vice
President Al Gore announced plans to ask Congress for a new
$50-million investment in the Fund. (For archived news reports of
this announcement visit http://www.vaccines.com/).
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To find out more about GAVI and how to join this
worldwide effort, please contact:
Lisa Jacobs GAVI Secretariat c/o
UNICEF Palais des Nations, 1211 Geneva 10 Switzerland
Tel: 41.22.909.50.19 Fax: 41.22.909.59.31 E-mail:
Gavi@unicef.org
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