UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
STATEMENT BY ADMINISTRATOR SAMANTHA POWER
A Global Pledge to Immunize Half a Billion Children and Strengthen Our Global Health Security
Building on a 24-year partnership that has helped immunize more than one billion children and saved 17 million lives, the United States government announced today that we will work with Congress to pledge at least $1.58 billion to Gavi over the next five years. With the collective support of partner countries, Gavi could vaccinate the next billion children in just a decade.
This $1.58 billion commitment at the launch of Gavi’s replenishment in Paris will help Gavi save more than eight million lives – by accelerating efforts to reach children who have never received a single vaccine; scaling our efforts to vaccinate against malaria, cervical cancer, and other diseases; and preparing countries to respond swiftly to health emergencies. Our pledge represents the United States’ first-ever five-year commitment, and an eight percent increase from our last five years of support to Gavi.
Critically, today also marks the launch of the African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator (AVMA), which will support African countries in creating locally-produced vaccines and building sustainable vaccine markets. This will both promote vaccine equity and enable a more agile response to future health crises. We commend the African Union and Gavi for their vision in establishing AVMA. The United States has supported AVMA since its conception, and we look forward to collaborating with the African Union to further advance this important localization effort.
From the eradication of smallpox to the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines globally, USAID has been at the forefront of investing in immunization to save lives and help communities thrive. This will be Gavi’s most impactful period ever – vaccinating more children, against more diseases, faster than ever before. Immunizing a generation of children around the world requires sustained high-level coordination and collaboration. The U.S. encourages all countries to make bold and increased commitments to Gavi so, together, we can save millions more lives.
