MSF calls on Gavi to prioritize childhood vaccination in humanitarian contexts

Gavi – which was set up 25 years ago to increase access to vaccines for children living in the world's poorest countries – did not reach its funding target of US$11.9 billion and faces a shortfall. With a few donors yet to pledge, there are still opportunities to address this.

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.

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

“We see first-hand the devastating impact of low immunisation 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 healthcare, 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."  

― Dr Daniela Garone, International Medical Coordinator, MSF.