Vigne des Nations: 2020 vintage awarded to Gavi by Geneva Canton, for its action for global health

Geneva, 11 October 2021 – This Monday morning, 11 October, Mr Serge Dal Busco, President of the Council of State of Geneva, symbolically awarded the parcel of the Vigne des Nations to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. This recognition honours the commitment of this organisation to guaranteeing fair and equitable access to vaccines around the world.

The ceremony took place in the presence of the Vice-President of the Grand Council of Geneva, Mr Jean-Luc Forni; Mr Mauro Poggia, State Councillor in charge of the of the Department of Security, Population and Health of Geneva; Mr Gilbert Vonlanthen, Mayor of the Commune of Bernex; Dr Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi; and a small number of guests.

Group photo of attendees of the Vigne des Nations ceremony on 11 October 2021, including Gavi senior leadership, President of the Geneva State Council Serge Dal Busco, Geneva State Councillor Mauro Poggia, and Mayor Gilbert Vonlanthen of the Commune of Bernex.
*Credit: Jacques Schmitz*

Founded in 2000, Gavi works to save lives by increasing the equitable and sustainable use of vaccines. A public-private partnership, its strategy has concentrated on access to vaccination for children and populations in lower-income countries. 888 million children have been immunised and more than 15 million future deaths prevented thanks to the work of Gavi.

“The awarding of the 2020 vintage is an excellent occasion to recognise the key role of Gavi in the health landscape of International Geneva,” said Mr Serge Dal Busco, President of the Council of State of Geneva. “Its public-private partnership model, and its 2018 move to the Global Health Campus, has breathed new energy into public health action to support fragile populations and children.”

“Geneva is our home – and Switzerland is a proud and committed supporter of COVAX, having pledged over CHF 100 million in funding and donated 4 million doses of vaccines,” added Dr Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi. “This recognition from the Republic and Canton of Geneva is particularly touching because it reflects over 20 years of partnership, and we have never been more honoured to be at the heart of International Geneva.”

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gavi has developed and co-led COVAX, working with partners, vaccine manufacturers in developed and developing countries and the World Bank. COVAX is the largest multilateral initiative since the Paris climate accord.

The awarding of the vintage of the Vigne des Nations, in the State Vineyard on the hillside of Lully, recognises an international organisation or human rights association every year.

Notes to editors

About Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance is a public-private partnership that helps vaccinate half the world’s children against some of the world’s deadliest diseases. Since its inception in 2000, Gavi has helped to immunise a whole generation – over 888 million children – and prevented more than 15 million future deaths, helping to halve child mortality in 73 lower-income countries. Gavi also plays a key role in improving global health security by supporting health systems as well as funding global stockpiles for Ebola, cholera, meningitis and yellow fever vaccines. After two decades of progress, Gavi is now focused on protecting the next generation and reaching the unvaccinated children still being left behind, employing innovative finance and the latest technology – from drones to biometrics – to save millions more lives, prevent outbreaks before they can spread and help countries on the road to self-sufficiency. Learn more at www.gavi.org and connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

Gavi is a co-convener of COVAX, the vaccines pillar of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, together with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the World Health Organization (WHO). In its role Gavi is focused on procurement and delivery for COVAX: coordinating the design, implementation and administration of the COVAX Facility and the Gavi COVAX AMC and working with its Alliance partners UNICEF and WHO, along with governments, on country readiness and delivery.

The Vaccine Alliance brings together developing country and donor governments, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the World Bank, the vaccine industry, technical agencies, civil society, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other private sector partners. View the full list of donor governments and other leading organizations that fund Gavi’s work here.

About the Geneva vineyard

Geneva is the third-largest wine region in Switzerland, after the cantons of Vaud and Valais. The State Vineyard, supported by research and innovation programmes, produces 50,000 top quality bottles every year. Trials aim to develop the quality of wines in Geneva and promote environmentally sustainable cultivation methods. The estate contributes to the improvement of diversity by testing over 20 grape varieties.

Since 1991, it has played a pioneering role in using vines in integrated production. Since the production of the first vintage in 1975, the objective of the vineyard has been to produce high quality wines that are worthy ambassadors of Geneva’s wine culture. This has been recognised through numerous Swiss and foreign distinctions won by wines of the estate.

MEDIA CONTACTS

For the State Chancellery

Anna-Karina Kolb, Regional and Federal Affairs Service
+41 22 327 90 61.

For Gavi and COVAX

Evan O’Connell, Gavi
+41 79 682 18 95
eoconnell@gavi.org