The Power of Partnerships

Next week in Berlin, Gavi the Vaccine Alliance will be hosting its second replenishment conference; a key moment to keep the momentum and gains made in 2014 and continue progress as we enter the last year of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). At its replenishment, GAVI will announce that 500 million children have been reached through Gavi-supported routine immunisation since 2000, resulting in 7 million lives saved. Further support can help to solidify even bigger gains.

2015 will be a crucial year, with the world community coming together to agree on a transformative agenda, centered around the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and a renewed effort around women’s and children’s health with the launch of an updated Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s, and Adolescents’ Health.

Since its launch in 2000, Gavi has been a model for the power of partnerships, especially public – private partnerships and its model has collectively helped immunize nearly half a billion children. Renewed investment from donors, together with co-financing from recipient countries, will help reach an additional 300 million children, translating into about 6 million lives saved and an economic benefit totaling $80-$100 billion.

Additionally, Gavi’s work has been essential to the progress of the Every Woman Every Child movement, an unprecedented multi-stakeholder partnership spearheaded by the UN Secretary-General that has mobilized over 400 commitments from governments, private sector, civil society, and the United Nations to improve the health of women and children around the world.

Anchored in a strong commitment to accountability, innovation, and results, these partnership models have helped reduce the deaths of women and children faster than at any time in history, and as we look toward the future, offer essential pillars for delivering and sustaining progress.

The UN Foundation has played its part in supporting the Gavi replenishment by working together to elevate the voices of those whose lives have been impacted the most by having access to immunization.

The outcomes of the Gavi replenishment can help provide a solid foundation for the next 15 years, ensuring we accelerate the reach of vaccines that directly benefit the health of mothers, newborns, and children in the world’s poorest countries.

This is a moment of great promise and unprecedented opportunity and by working together we can be the generation that ends preventable child deaths.