Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance

Description What is done in the programme or project and why, what results are pursued, who benefits from the activities and who are involved in the implementation.

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance promotes global immunisation against epidemics and helps vaccinate children against life-threatening infectious diseases. Gavi vaccinates almost half of the world’s children. Gavi's support has contributed to the vaccination of more than 760 million unique children through routine immunisation. Gavi enhances the access to routine immunisation of those children who are in the most vulnerable position. Gavi helps decrease child mortality: the increase in immunisation has helped halve childhood mortality by preventing approximately 13 million deaths. Gavi has a remarkable role in strengthening primary health care (PHC), bringing us closer to the Sustainable Development Goal 3 of Universal Health Coverage (UHC), ensuring that no one is left behind. Vaccinating children advances the status and health of girls and has an impact on women's status and health as well, because women are principally those who take care of ill relatives and also themselves are exposed to the disease. Gavi supports vaccination of girls against human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is the main cause of cervical cancer. According to Gavi, vaccines are one of the most successful and cost-effective health investments in history with wider benefits that accrue across a lifetime. As children become healthier, they, their families, communities and countries are more able to be economically prosperous and socially stable. Gavi's work improves global health security by helping countries broaden vaccine coverage and improve their health systems. This makes them less susceptible and better able to prevent disease outbreaks that pose a threat to people in these countries, protecting millions of others around the world. Gavi’s core partners are the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the World Bank and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.