Gavi Vaccine Alliance Calls for Innovation and Collaboration to Tackle Post-Pandemic Challenges
The Gavi Vaccine Alliance, a UNESCO-dependent organization, has recently concluded its Global Conference on the impact of vaccination in Madrid. The conference highlighted the urgent need for implementing innovation and collaboration systems between public and private entities as the main challenges the world must face in the post-pandemic era.
With over 1 billion children vaccinated worldwide through its programs, Gavi emphasizes the necessity of multilateralism and global cooperation as tools to better prepare for future health crises. According to José Manuel Barroso, former president of the European Commission and current president of Gavi’s board of directors, collaboration between all actors is crucial in solving humanity’s greatest problems.
Gavi Vaccine Alliance: A Public-Private Partnership for Child Immunization
The Gavi Vaccine Alliance is a public-private partnership that aims to immunize children against infectious and deadly diseases in developing countries.
Progress and Challenges in Ordinary Vaccination Programs for Children
During the conference in Madrid, Gavi highlighted the return to normalcy in ordinary vaccination programs for children, following the culmination of the COVID-19 pandemic. The executive report presented at the meeting states that “in 2021, the countries collaborating with Gavi administered more vaccines than ever before.”
Gavi’s objective is to fully recover pre-pandemic levels of immunization during the following years. However, the number of children without any type of immunization has reached 18 million, which is two million more than in 2020 and five million more than in 2019, the year before the pandemic. These figures continue to highlight the vaccination reality in developing countries and have prompted organizations like Spanish Doctors Without Borders to call for more action from the Gavi Vaccine Alliance.
Addressing Vaccination Gaps and Urgent Priorities
The World Health Organization reports alarming statistics, revealing that between 2019 and 2021, 67 million children did not receive any systemic vaccination. Additionally, in 2018, approximately 40% of children living in conflict settings were not vaccinated. These concerning numbers have led the Spanish NGO to demand urgent actions from the Gavi Vaccine Alliance. They urge the Alliance to prioritize the delivery of vaccines to children up to five years old who have not received routine or any vaccinations.
Spanish Support and Commitment to Vaccination
The Global Conference held in Madrid witnessed the participation of 20 heads of state and government, as well as ministers and experts from both the public and private sectors. Spain showed significant support with the presence of Manuel Albares, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, at the opening ceremony, and José Miñones, the Minister of Health, at the closing ceremony.
Minister Miñones affirmed that Spain’s commitment to vaccination is yielding positive results and emphasized that vaccines are crucial for guaranteeing the right to health and social well-being. He also stressed the importance of approaching vaccination challenges through joint and coordinated efforts. Furthermore, Minister Miñones announced that a high-level meeting on health matters, with a focus on lifelong vaccination, will take place in Madrid on July 18 as part of Spain’s presidency of the Council of the European Union.
:quality(85)//cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/infobae/VYAJ2GGQF5AI5DRMLQXIT5RJHA.jpg "The United States announces its return to UNESCO after six years of absence and unpaid debts")
