• The commitments build on the potency of public-private partnerships, which have contributed to Gavi’s success

• They will also help Gavi immunise another 300 million children and save an additional 7–8 million lives during the 2021–2025 period, as well as respond to the COVID-19 crisis

• Gavi CEO Dr Seth Berkley: “We understand the innovation that exists and can be unlocked working with the private sector”

Geneva 3 June 2020 – A broad range of corporations, foundations, initiatives and individual philanthropists pledged more than US$ 70 million in contributions supporting Gavi’s efforts to modernise, streamline and strengthen its delivery of life-saving vaccines to children in the world’s poorest countries. 

The new pledges come on the eve of the UK Government-hosted Global Vaccine Summit, which will aim to culminate in pledges of at least US$ 7.4 billion for Gavi’s efforts between 2021 and 2025 to immunise a further 300 million children, saving an additional 7–8 million lives. 

“Gavi is the consummate example of how public-private partnerships play a substantial role in saving lives and putting whole societies on trajectories of progress and prosperity,” said Dr Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi. “We understand the innovation that exists and can be unlocked when we work with the private sector. As a result, we’re extraordinarily proud of and grateful to our many private sector partners, with whom we have been able to pioneer some transformational changes in immunisation systems. I also want to thank the sponsors of the Gavi Matching Fund, whose generous contributions helped us to unleash and unlock resources to catalyse this work.”

COMMITMENTS

Gavi welcomes the following commitments by private sector partners in support of the Alliance’s work in the upcoming period:

Supply chain strengthening

• The UPS Foundation is providing US$ 3 million in cash and in-kind services to continue to help strengthen supply chain networks that deliver life-saving vaccines to children in the world’s poorest countries. The contribution will leverage a match of US$ 2 million from the Gavi Matching Fund to expand on previous UPS Foundation efforts.
• The ELMA Vaccines & Immunization Foundation and Nexleaf Analytics will partner with Gavi to further strengthen the vaccine cold chain in Tanzania. ELMA will pledge US$ 1.5 million, which will be matched by the Gavi Matching Fund, bringing the total sum to US$ 3 million.

Support for frontline health workers

• The Rockefeller Foundation will invest US$ 5 million to support the adoption and scale-up of innovative approaches and digital technologies that empower frontline health workers in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic while continuing immunisation services.
• Laerdal Global Health, and the Laerdal Million Lives Fund will provide support to frontline health workers with a commitment of up to US$ 10 million that will leverage the organisation’s expertise in building resilient health and education systems, using cutting-edge digital technologies. The support will be matched by the Gavi Matching Fund and will also be applied to Gavi’s broader innovation agenda through Gavi’s Innovation for Uptake, Scale and Equity in Immunisation (INFUSE) platform.

Digitising immunisation data

• Airtel, Nigeria’s leading mobile telecommunications company, will provide up to US$ 5.9 million in cash and in-kind services for the E-Reporting Project, which will digitise a paper-based vaccine reporting system and provide digital tools to primary health care workers across Nigeria for the accurate collection of essential data. The Airtel contribution will be pooled with cash from the Gavi Matching Fund for a total project investment of US$ 11.1 million.
• Mastercard will adapt its Wellness Pass solution for the COVID-19 response and is connecting with customers and cardholders through its donation platform, in an effort to mobilise millions of pounds of resources for Gavi, including from the Gavi Matching Fund for contributions above £1 million.

Generating demand for vaccines

• TikTok have committed US$ 10 million to support Gavi’s deployment in Africa of eventual COVID-19 vaccines, as well as its strengthening of routine immunisation programmes. Gavi will also explore working with TikTok to use its technology, operational expertise and platform to increase immunisation and vaccination awareness to address the issue of misinformation. The donation will be matched by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation through the Gavi Matching Fund.
• Unilever, through its Lifebuoy brand, will partner with Gavi to expand its award-winning programme Safal Shuruaat (Successful Beginnings), which encourages handwashing with soap while promoting childhood immunisation, currently being implemented in India. Unilever will pledge € 3 million, which Gavi will aim to match through the Gavi Matching Fund, bringing the total sum to € 6 million. This is in addition to a donation of almost 2.9 million bars of Lux soap to the Pakistan immunisation programme to protect parents seeking immunisation services, as well as health care workers on the front line.

Additional financing for vaccines

• United Bank of Africa (UBA) Foundation will draw on its network and expertise to raise US$ 1.5 million in funding for immunisation and health system strengthening programmes across the African continent, starting with Nigeria.
• Gamers Without Borders (GWB), an initiative of the Saudi Arabian Federation for Electronic and Intellectual Sports (SAFEIS), has raised to date more than US$ 1.3 million for Gavi through an online gaming competition. The competition will conclude on 7 June 2020, with a US$ 10 million prize fund being donated to charities leading the fight against the spread of coronavirus.
• Reed Hastings, global entrepreneur, co-founder and CEO of Netflix, and Patty Quillin have committed US$ 30 million to support the Alliance’s response to COVID-19 and help protect the world against new outbreaks of other infectious diseases.

Media Contacts

Jeff Weintraub, Media consultant
Mob: +1-202-403-7695
Email: jeff@weintraubcomms.com

Frédérique Tissandier, Head, Global & Country Media Engagement 
Mob: +41 79 300 82 53
Email: ftissandier@gavi.org