Geneva: Funding for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, is needed now more than ever, says Save the Children, as donors, public and private partners, and civil society meet tomorrow at Gavi's High-Level Pledging Summit. The summit seeks to raise at least US$ 9 billion from donors to protect 500 million children and save at least 8 million lives from 2026-2030.

According to Save the Children, vaccines have been a source of hope and progress. For over two centuries, scientists, doctors, and communities have built on their knowledge and experience to help children and adults live longer and better lives. In the past 50 years, vaccines have saved more than 154 million people and significantly reduced the global burden of infectious diseases. Despite these achievements, the work of vaccination is under grave threat.

Save the Children emphasizes that without Gavi ensuring affordable vaccines in sufficient quantities for vulnerable populations, the task of protecting global health becomes significantly more challenging. Maintaining global funding for Gavi should be a straightforward decision for governments, as vaccination increases safety for everyone.

With an ambitious increase in funding, Save the Children notes that Gavi will be able to invest in strengthening health systems and delivering more vaccines to children, focusing on those who have never received a single jab, are under-immunised, or are in fragile settings, conflict zones, or places at high risk due to climate change impacts.