GAVI Board recognises renewed commitment to accelerate vaccine agenda and the need to mobilise additional resources
The GAVI Alliance Board, 8 July 2011. Source: Louvion/GAVI/2011
Nearly a month after GAVI’s first successful pledging conference, the GAVI Board met in Geneva at a regular bi-annual meeting on 7-8 July
Geneva, 8 July 2011 - The two day meeting was an opportunity for the GAVI Secretariat to report back on the productive seven months since the last Board meeting, a period which saw a renewed commitment among donors and partners at the highest levels to an ambitious accelerated vaccine agenda. The Board agreed the Alliance had been renewed in the process of building the political will to finance immunisation and welcomed the dramatic impact that this could have in children immunised and deaths prevented.
Since the last Board, new life-saving vaccines against pneumococcal pneumonia were introduced in ten developing countries; the Alliance accelerated approval for three countries to introduce the Meningitis A vaccine, which has already significantly reduced the number of cases; and a record 50 GAVI-eligible countries applied for vaccine funding, nearly double the previous record in 2007.
Speaking to the successful outcome of the pledging conference, the Board stressed the need to remain focused on GAVI’s five-year strategy and to make every effort to deliver promptly and demonstrate results. At the same time, the Board agreed to continue increasing resource mobilisation efforts and invite new donors to join the Alliance and respond to the growing level of demand for life-saving vaccines.
“The outcome of the pledging conference gives the Alliance confidence to meet our ambitious goals – reaching more children, faster than planned with immunisation. It also gives us as a Board increased responsibilities to deliver, prioritise, monitor and follow up. It is the Board’s responsibility to ensure that funds are spent effectively and efficiently based on sound evidence,” said Dagfinn Høybråten, Chair of the GAVI Alliance Board.
The Board discussion focused on programmatic aspects, reviewed progress made on the accelerated vaccine introductions (AVI), and discussed how its cash based programmes to strengthen delivery mechanisms particularly at country level could further accelerate progress towards achieving its goals. As part of this effort, the Board agreed to analyse countries’ readiness and capacity in order to inform the design of targeted and enhanced support to improve coverage.
“We need to find new and better ways to work with fragile states and large countries to improve equity and continually look for opportunities to reach more children,” said Dagfinn Høybråten. “The Alliance should aim to accelerate the introduction of existing and new vaccines to countries and work towards delivering vaccines to more children in low-income countries, particularly the hardest to reach.”
Reaffirming the importance of market shaping and acknowledging the progress with recent price offers from manufacturers, the Board planned to review at its next meeting the draft Supply and Procurement Strategy, which is currently open for public consultation.
Adressing the financial and resource mobilisation agenda, the Board reviewed the updated financial picture and discussed plans for a mid-process accountability review in 2013. The Secretariat also presented GAVI’s new matching fund for immunisation, which is aimed at attracting new corporate donors to the Alliance through matching grants provided by the UK government and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
In line with the organisation’s transparency policy, the GAVI Director of Internal Audit presented his first annual audit report and key recommendations to bring the management of its cash programme risk to a level of leading practice.
The Board’s decisions will shortly be posted on the GAVI web page.
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