US makes deadly decision to withdraw funding for Gavi

As Gavi met yesterday for its replenishment pledging summit to determine funding for its next five years of work, it did not reach its funding target of $11.9 billion and faces a shortfall, in part due to the US government’s decision to withdraw its funding pledge. The US was previously one of the biggest funders of Gavi, contributing about 13 percent of the organization’s budget.  

With over 50 years of experience vaccinating children who live in some of the world’s hardest-to-reach and most neglected settings, MSF is keenly aware of the barriers and challenges that make access to and the delivery of vaccines in humanitarian settings particularly complex and expensive. 

While MSF does not accept US government or Gavi funding and will not be directly affected by cuts to the program, more than half of the vaccines MSF uses in its projects come from ministries of health and are procured through Gavi.

“The United States is walking away from the global effort to vaccinate the world’s children.

“To invoke misleading and inaccurate claims about vaccine safety as the pretext for cutting all global vaccine funding is cruel and reckless. We can’t overstate the impact of the US government’s decision to withdraw Gavi funding: Countless children will die from vaccine-preventable diseases.  

"As a medical organization, we vaccinate millions of children safely every year. Many of our patients are living in war zones, refugee camps, and rural areas cut off from health care—places where children still die of pneumonia, diarrhea, and measles.

“When we vaccinate in the community, parents line up for hours to give their children a chance to be protected from these deadly diseases. For these children, vaccination programs such as those supported through Gavi are a matter of life and death.

"More than half of unvaccinated children currently live in war zones, refugee camps, and humanitarian emergency settings. Gavi plays a critical role in protecting children worldwide and should be supported by governments rather than undermined.

"The US decision to withdraw from Gavi funding couldn’t come at a worse time. Support for global health systems is crumbling, immunization coverage remains low, and we are seeing increased outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases. 

“Gavi has helped save 17 million children's lives and its work is more critical than ever. We implore the US Congress to exercise its constitutionally mandated authority and continue its historical support for Gavi in the next budget.” 

Following the replenishment pledging summit yesterday, MSF is urging Gavi, its board members, and donors to focus their efforts to reach children in humanitarian settings in particular.

“We are encouraged to see global solidarity in support of Gavi’s next five years of work, but it comes with a funding shortfall. This should not deter Gavi and donors from stepping up and ensuring stronger efforts to reach children in humanitarian settings with immunization.

“We see firsthand the devastating impact of low immunization coverage on communities and health systems, with many of the places in which we work having faced outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases—like measles in Darfur, Sudan and diphtheria in Kano, Nigeria—due, in part, to limited vaccine access.

“With more than half of unvaccinated children living in humanitarian settings around the world, including war zones, refugee camps, and remote areas cut off from health care, it should be clear that now is the time to bolster access to vaccines.

“Ensuring that children actually get vaccinated needs sufficient funding, political will, and commitment from donors and governments. That’s why we again call on Gavi, its board members, and donors to improve access to vaccines for children living in humanitarian settings, including by ensuring that all children until at least age five have sustainable access to vaccines.”