Halfway There: Delivering on the promise of immunisation for all

The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI Alliance) was established in 2000 in response to research that found nearly 17% of deaths in children under five years of age are due to diseases that could have been prevented by vaccine. It was mandated to raise and channel funding for immunisation in more than 70 of the world’s poorest countries. GAVI brings together the leading players in immunisation – the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Bank, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, donor governments, developing country governments, civil society organisations, research and technical health institutes, and the pharmaceutical industry – to fulfil its mission to “save children’s lives and protect people’s health by increasing access to immunisation in poor countries”.

GAVI’s 2011–2015 strategy includes four strategic goals: Vaccines, health systems, financing and market shaping.

This document begins by looking at financing for immunisation, which is critical to funding the implementation of immunisation programmes. It then goes on to look at progress on reducing the price of vaccines and vaccine rollouts in GAVI countries. A large part of the document focuses on how well GAVI has supported countries to strengthen their health systems and to promote increased and equitable coverage of immunisation – both of which are critical for sustainable progress towards universal access to the full benefits of immunisation, integrated with other essential health services. GAVI’s governance structures are then analyzed, which provide the strategic direction for its work to achieve its goals. The document concludes with specific recommendations for the GAVI board and secretariat, GAVI donors, GAVI-supported countries, the private sector, and civil society organisations – To help accelerate progress towards Save the Children’s shared goal: that all children enjoy the full benefits of immunisation.