Skip to main content

As part of the 2024 World Immunisation Week, Global Health Advocates is launching a new campaign entitled  “A Dose of Solidarity” to mobilise EU decision-makers on issues related to vaccination worldwide, and to highlight civil society’s commitment to this pressing issue.

WHY GET INVOLVED?

Vaccination stands as one of humanity’s greatest achievements and features among the most effective and least costly public health interventions. By preventing infection, vaccines save lives, reduce healthcare costs for individuals and families, and help preserve global health security.

Vaccination prevents between 3.5 et 5 million deaths a year.

If we want to achieve adequate vaccination coverage to protect populations against old and new epidemics, several challenges still need addressing, such as among others: declining access to vaccination among children, a surge of vaccine-preventable diseases causing a surge of fatalities, and inequitable production and access to vaccines between low, middle and high-income countries. This is why the international community must increase its investment in global immunisation, to ensure vaccines are produced and distributed more equitably and in a way that is better suited to the health risks faced throughout the world.

In 2022, more than 14 million children had never been vaccinated. Although this figure is an improvement compared to 2021, it still represents almost 1.5 million more “zero-dose children” than before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Numerous stakeholders are committed to immunisation, from civil society actors and international health organisations to entrepreneurs in developing countries. Since its creation in 2000, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, has been facilitating the introduction of new vaccines in low-income countries and, with the launch of the African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator (AVMA), the organisation is also committed to supporting the decentralisation of vaccine production in order to reduce inequalities in access to vaccination at the global level.

Since its creation in 2000, Gavi has supported the vaccination of over 1 billion children, saving 17 million lives.

Team Europe – the European Union and its Member States – must reaffirm its political and financial support to Gavi and mobilise the international community ahead of Gavi’s upcoming replenishment to advance equitable immunisation globally.

To this end, Global Health Advocates is calling on the European Union and its Member States to support and champion continued investment in vaccination.
As part of this campaign, parliamentarians are getting involved and calling on governments around the world to step up their efforts to fight existing and future pandemics, and to strengthen equitable access to vaccines worldwide.

They are also asking their governments to support Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, during its upcoming replenishment, and to increase their R&D investments into new vaccines and medicines.

OPPORTUNITIES

  • World Immunisation Week 2024

From 24 to 30 April, World Immunisation Week aims to highlight the many successes of vaccination worldwide and raise awareness about the importance of vaccines in the fight against preventable diseases such as yellow fever, measles, and tetanus.

Throughout the week, we will be raising awareness of the importance of immunisation and the need for sustained global support to ensure equitable access to these critical medical tools.

  • The launch of Gavi’s next investment opportunity

On 20 June 2024, France together with Team Europe, and in partnership with the African Union, will host the launch of Gavi’s investment opportunity for 2026-2030, with the African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator (AVMA) also being launched that day. At this event, Gavi will announce its targets for supporting the roll-out of immunisation campaigns in low-income countries over the next 5 years and the exact resources needed to achieve such objectives.

The EU and its Member States must confirm their position as some of Gavi’s main donors in order to achieve the Alliance’s objectives. Team Europe will also have a role to play in mobilising political support from other governments to continue investing in immunisation.

  • The Gavi Replenishment Conference

From then, and until the end of the year, Gavi’s partners including governments and the private sector will be invited to express their support to Gavi by announcing their financial contributions to the Vaccine Alliance, thereby helping to extend immunisation coverage throughout the world.

We will urge the European Union and its Member States to make ambitious pledges to the Vaccine Alliance and confirm the EU leadership in Global Health, particularly as an immunisation champion.