Announcement made at official launch of Alliance’s replenishment process in Brussels

Thomas Silberhorn

Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Thomas Silberhorn, at the High-Level Replenishment launch event in Brussels.
Credit: GAVI/2014/Bernal Revert.

Brussels, 20 May 2014 - The German Government announced on Tuesday that it will host the GAVI Alliance replenishment meeting.

Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Thomas Silberhorn, confirmed the decision at a European Commission-hosted event in Brussels launching the Alliance’s replenishment process.  EC President Jose Manuel Barroso and the Ethiopia President Mulatu Teshome both attended the high-level meeting.

“Germany is a major contributor to the health sector worldwide,” explained Silberhorn. “The GAVI Alliance is one of several funds we are contributing to and we are preparing to invest more to strengthen the efforts to reduce child mortality and improve children’s health worldwide.”

The Alliance has asked donors for an additional US$ 7.5 billion over five years to fund its investment case for 2016-2020.  With full funding, the GAVI Alliance will be able to help countries to immunise an additional 300 million children, saving six million lives.

Changed the world

“GAVI has changed the world because it has created an atmosphere that everybody can contribute to and see results,” said Silberhorn, emphasising the impact of immunisation both on reducing child mortality and contributing to national economic growth by helping people live longer and healthier lives.

“This isn’t only a moral question. It’s about realising the full potential of the younger generations, not to fall ill and to be able fulfill the creativity and energy of young people,” he added.

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