The <<>> announced a grant of $750 million, and Norway committed $290 million, to support the work of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI). In making the announcement today, Bill Gates called on other donors to address the major funding gap for children’s immunization programs in developing countries.
GAVI was launched in 2000 to address the fact that more than two million people in developing countries die needlessly each year because they do not receive the immunizations that are taken for granted in the industrialized world.
Since its inception, GAVI has helped prevent more than 670,000 deaths in the world’s poorest countries by improving access to basic children’s vaccines, accelerating introduction of new vaccines, and strengthening vaccine delivery systems.
“Supporting children’s immunization is undoubtedly the best investment we’ve ever made. In just five years, GAVI’s efforts have saved hundreds of thousands of children’s lives, and its work in the coming years will save millions more,” said Bill Gates, co-founder of the Gates Foundation. “But today’s commitments are only a down payment. Rich countries can and should increase immunization funding to give children in developing countries a better shot at a healthy life.”