Amazing progress has been made between 1980 and 2013: the percentage of immunised children worldwide grew from 20% to 84%. This equates to millions of lives saved and is undoubtedly one of the reasons why the number of children dying every year has more than halved in this period.

Vaccines are one of the most powerful and cost-effective interventions, providing lifelong protection from diseases and saving between 2 and 3 million lives around the globe every year.

However, it is a huge tragedy that every year, 21.8 million children don’t have access to even the most basic vaccines. This means that 1 in 5 children, nearly exclusively from the poorest socio-economic backgrounds and most remote communities, are missing out on life-saving interventions. This is the highest degree of health inequality; and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, is working hard to ensure all children can enjoy the benefits of vaccines.

At the current rate of progress, Millennium Development Goal 4 (“Reduce by two thirds, between 1990 and 2015, the under-five mortality rate”) is unlikely to be met until 2026. It is therefore increasingly important that we step up our investment in vaccines for all children – given the impact they have on saving lives. We can do this by supporting Gavi’s work, asking the UK Government to continue their leadership for the next period 2016-2020.

UK Civil Society is requesting a £1.2 billion contribution from the UK, which would result in the immunisation of an additional 85 million and save 1.5 million lives. The UK is currently Gavi’s biggest donor, providing nearly a third of its finances, and this needs to continue. A significant, early pledge would encourage other donors to step up and save the lives of millions of children!

We will be discussing the importance of vaccinations and the actions grassroots volunteers can take to encourage UK investment on our monthly conference call, on Tuesday 7th October at 8pm.

To join the call, you can call 0844 762 0762, 0203 398 1398 or 0800 22 90 900 and when prompted enter 18723#. If you would like to join your local RESULTS Group in your area for the meetings, please email  Felix at RESULTS.

Learn more about GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance and check out our infographic here:

Action Sheet: Save 1.5 million lives – Securing the UK’s commitment to Gavi
Background Sheet 1: Gavi – Frequently asked questions; and what is equity?
Background Sheet 2: Amazing Gavi infographic

We look forward to having lots of you join us in this push for replenishment!