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THREE ON THE RESULTS OF THE LONDON PLEDGING CONFERENCE

Sunday, 12th of June 2011 Print

1) GAVI PRESS RELEASE FROM THE LONDON PLEDGING CONFERENCE

GAVI Alliance poised to immunise more than 250 million children in developing countries by 2015 LONDON, 13 June 2011 – Major public and private donors achieved a milestone in global health today by committing funding to immunise more than 250 million of the world’s poorest children against life-threatening diseases by 2015 and prevent more than four million premature deaths. Donors committed US$ 4.3 billion at the first pledging conference held by the GAVI Alliance. This exceeds an initial target of $3.7 billion, enabling GAVI to reach more children faster than planned and to accelerate the introduction of new vaccines. A portion of the pledges are conditional upon GAVI raising additional funds from new donors in the future. Today’s pledges bring GAVI’s total available resources for the period 2011 to 2015 to $ 7.6 billion. The increased support is timely. GAVI recently reported a record 50 countries applied for vaccine funding during the Alliance’s latest application round – nearly double the previous record in 2007. This new support will allow GAVI to fully fund approved applications. “Today is an important moment in our collective commitment to protecting children in developing countries from disease,” said President of Liberia Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. “But every 20 seconds, a child still dies of a vaccine-preventable disease. There’s more work to be done.” The meeting convened prime ministers, ministers and high-level officials from donor and developing countries, leaders of UN Agencies, CEOs from private companies and senior civil society leaders to make commitments to support GAVI’s life-saving work. The meeting was hosted by the governments of the United Kingdom and Liberia and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Governments more than doubled their previous commitments and new donors will also give for the first time, including Japan and Brazil. GAVI’s largest corporate donor, “la Caixa” Foundation, extended its financial commitment and new donors Anglo American plc and Absolute Return for Kids (ARK) made their first pledges. Developing countries committed to maintain or increase the co-financing of their vaccine programmes and leverage the partnership to immunise their children. GAVI estimates that the total level of co-financing will triple to US$ 100 million by 2015. Vaccine manufacturers announced last week they will contribute by offering lower prices on a range of life-saving vaccines supported by GAVI, including a two-thirds reduction on the rotavirus vaccine, which combats the leading cause of diarrhea deaths. Co-financing and lower prices will enhance the sustainability of immunisation programmes. “GAVI was one of the very top performers in our root-and-branch review of the agencies that deliver British aid because it demonstrates tangible results. Britain will play its full part and our support to GAVI will help vaccinate over 80 million children and save 1.4 million lives. That’s one child vaccinated every two seconds for five years,” said David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. "For the first time in history, children in developing countries will receive the same vaccines against diarrhea and pneumonia as children in rich countries,” said Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “Together we must do more to ensure that all children – no matter where they live – have equal access to life-saving vaccines.” Conference participants agreed that the momentum to reach more children with vaccines must be maintained and they encouraged GAVI to expand coverage of immunisation programmes and accelerate the introduction of new vaccines. It was also recognised that vaccine manufacturers should continue to deliver and expand on their promises to reduce vaccine prices and provide greater access, while the countries themselves should continue to meet their co-financing commitments. Participants also agreed to meet in two years time to review GAVI’s progress in immunisation and resource mobilisation. “Today was a vote of confidence for GAVI. But it was also a challenge to us: to keep delivering on our mission and to do even more. Nearly two million children die from vaccine-preventable diseases every year. The day will come when malaria and other killer diseases can be beaten with a simple shot in the arm. We must prepare for that day. Working with partners, GAVI will need to continue to raise the necessary resources to tackle all vaccine-preventable diseases,” said GAVI Alliance Board Chair Dagfinn Høybråten.

2) FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES

$4.3 Billion Pledged at Vaccine Fund-Raiser

By DONALD G. McNEIL Jr.

The New York Times, June 13, 2011

Public and private donors have pledged $4.3 billion toward vaccinating children against a variety of diseases, according to the GAVI Alliance, which held its first fund-raising conference for vaccines in London on Monday.

That exceeds the $3.7 billion that the alliance — created 11 years ago as the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization to help poor countries pay for vaccines — had hoped to raise. Some is matching money contingent on other pledges. 

The target is to immunize more than 250 million children by 2015. Vaccines, medical experts say, save more lives than any public health measure other than clean water and sewage.

When GAVI was created, experts estimated that three million children a year were dying of vaccine-preventable diseases; that number has now dropped to two million.

Fifty countries have already applied for the funds, some of which will buy newer, more expensive vaccines against rotavirus, meningitis, pneumococcal disease, hepatitis B and yellow fever; the alliance also hopes to eventually add vaccines against cervical cancer, rubella, typhoid, Japanese encephalitis and other diseases.

Exactly how much the money will buy will be cannot be calculated because vaccine makers have been steadily lowering their prices as political pressure on them increases and as low-cost competitors, mostly from India, enter the field.

“Vaccines are absolutely brilliant value for money,” Andrew Mitchell, Britain’s secretary of state for international development, said at the news conference where the pledges were announced. “For the price of a cup of coffee, it’s possible to vaccinate a child against five killer diseases.”

Bill Gates, who helped create GAVI and whose foundation has given it more than $1.5 billion, said the new money meant “we will be upping our sights” on how fast new vaccines can be made and how many children can be reached. “Eighty percent coverage is not nearly enough,” he said, referring to how many of the world’s children get the three most common vaccines, against diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus.

The United States, which has given more than $650 million in the past, pledged another $450 million, pending Congressional approval. The British government, a sponsor of the pledging conference, gave $266 million, roughly doubling its previous donation. Australia, Norway and Sweden also doubled theirs, Mr. Mitchell said. Japan and Brazil pledged for the first time, as did some foundations and companies, like Anglo-American, the South African mining giant.

The financially strapped British government had recently re-examined all 43 agencies to which it donates foreign aid, Mr. Mitchell said. It froze or cut donations to some, but concluded that GAVI was one of the most cost-effective.

 


3) QUERY TO READERS

The London pledging meeting saw pledges of $4.3 billion. If you were on the GAVI Board, how would you decide  to spend the $600 million pledged today, over and above the $3.7 billion targeted primarily for pneumococcal and rotavirus vaccines? Reply to rdavis@africamail.com

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