help promote global vaccination efforts

Each year, 5 million children die before their fifth birthday from preventable diseases. Vaccination is one of the most cost-effective interventions to save lives and prevent illness, yet in 2023, 14.5 million children did not receive a single dose. Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance is a global partnership that improves access to vaccines for children across the world. In early 2025, countries attending a replenishment conference will pledge funds to Gavi for the next 5 years, and we will need the UK Government to do its bit.

what

vaccination is among the most effective ways to reduce child deaths, yet millions of children around the world still don’t receive a single dose

who

the UK Government must support the efforts of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which helps reach over half the world’s children with vaccines

how

ask your MP to gain Parliamentary and Government support for Gavi

why do we need to fund global vaccinations now?

Each year, 5 million children die before their fifth birthday from preventable causes, often from vaccine-preventable diseases such as pneumonia, rotavirus, and measles. In 2023, 14.5 million children did not receive a single vaccine dose, more than before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance is a global partnership that improves access to vaccines for children across the world. Since 2000, Gavi has helped vaccinate more than 1 billion children and prevented more than 17.3 million child deaths. Gavi is now seeking funding for its vital work for the period 2026-30, and international donors including the UK must step up to the plate in early 2025.

how does a multilateral health institution like Gavi work?

For many years, global immunisation efforts were hampered by the high cost of new vaccines that were beyond the reach of many lower-income countries. Gavi was created to encourage vaccine manufacturers to lower vaccine prices for the poorest countries in return for long-term, high-volume and predictable demand.

During its next strategic period, from 2026–2030, Gavi plans to immunise at least 500 million more children, potentially preventing a further 8–9 million deaths. To achieve this, Gavi hopes to raise at least US $9 billion from donor governments, private organisations and individuals through a process called replenishment, culminating in a conference in early 2025.

Vaccination is one of the most cost-effective ways to save lives and prevent illness, each $1 invested saving $54 of costs to society, helping to strengthen health systems, and bringing the world closer to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Coordinating with other global health institutions such as the World Health Organization (WHO), Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), and the Global Fund to Fight HIV, TB and Malaria, Gavi supports low and middle-income countries to achieve SDG3 (Good health and wellbeing).

In the face of global challenges such as climate change, population growth, urbanisation, migration, fragility and conflict, Gavi has helped countries broaden vaccine coverage and improve their health systems. This makes them better able to prevent disease outbreaks that pose a threat, also protecting millions of others around the world.

what can you do to help achieve Gavi’s goals?

With more than half of the UK Parliament new in their role, and with so many competing issues in the public eye, it’s an urgent task for campaigners to persuade MPs and the Government why vaccines are a good investment.
The new Government has stated that “[its] mission is to create a world free from poverty on a liveable planet. To tackle global crises and deliver sustainable growth, we need to draw on the strength which comes from equal partnerships.” Persuading it to retain its historic commitment to supporting Gavi will be an important way to do that.
Please write to your MP, asking them to request Development Secretary Anneliese Dodds to explain how the Government is planning to support Gavi’s global vaccinations work. Please explain to them why Gavi is so important, and how it works to save lives and strengthen health systems.
Parliament’s International Development Committee (IDC) exists to scrutinise the Government’s contributions to overcoming global poverty. Your MP can also write to the Chair of the Committee, Labour MP Sarah Champion, asking her Committee to hold the Government to account on its historic commitment to supporting Gavi.
Even if you’ve not been receiving replies from your MP as the new Parliament has formed over the summer, it’s vital that we continue to expect MPs to act on their constituents’ concerns. Read our guidance on how to write to your MP – you can find their contact details here.

how Results campaigners have supported Gavi’s global vaccination programmes

Results supports Gavi by advocating for it to receive sufficient resources from donors such as the UK Government, and sharing policy recommendations for a more equitable and sustainable way of working and implementing its mission.

In 2015, Results campaigners persuaded the UK Government to invest £1 billion in Gavi for the period 2016-20. Then, in 2020, we once again helped support Gavi’s vaccination programmes by persuading the Government to invest £330 million per year for the period 2021-25, making the UK the largest supporter of Gavi, and helping to protect up to 75 million children in the world’s poorest countries.

take action!

write to your MP about the importance of funding global vaccinations programmes

request that they ask the Government how it plans to support Gavi over the next 5 years

ask your MP to raise this issue with Parliament’s International Development Committee

I took action!

we’re here to support you!

If you have any questions or need support or advice in writing your letter, please contact Naveed Chaudhri, Head of Campaigns, at [email protected].

measles, a dangerous but preventable childhood illness

In this image, a mother in Pakistan brings her young daughter to get a second dose of measles vaccine along with other routine vaccines. As of August 2023, Pakistan is one of the countries with the most measles cases.

The US Center for Disease Control (CDC) supports ongoing efforts to vaccinate children against measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases, and strengthen national immunisation programmes. You can see their photo essay on how families around the world are affected by measles here.

^{Credit: UNICEF/U.S.CDC/UNI416497/Bashir}