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What was the COVAX Facility?
COVAX was the vaccines pillar of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator
Coordinated and administered by Gavi, the COVAX Facility was responsible for global procurement and delivery at scale for COVAX – managing the end-to-end effort including relationships with the 195 countries and territories that signed on as participants and/or donors. COVAX Facility participants had access to the largest and most diverse portfolio of COVID-19 vaccines in the world, through COVAX purchase agreements and dose donations.
High- and upper middle-income countries self-financed participation in the Facility, while 92 lower-income countries were eligible to receive free doses and support thanks to more than US$ 12 billion in donor funding for the Gavi COVAX AMC. Nearly 90% of the nearly 2 billion doses provided through the Facility went to lower-income economies.
Latest COVAX news
Novavax and Gavi Reach Settlement on 2021 COVID-19 Vaccine Advance Purchase Agreement
Novavax, Inc. (Nasdaq: NVAX) and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (Gavi) today announced they have reached a settlement related to the 2021 Advance Purchase Agreement (APA) for Novavax’s prototype COVID-19 vaccine (NVX-CoV2373). This agreement brings…
COVID-19 vaccinations shift to regular immunisation as COVAX draws to a close
COVAX will close 31 December 2023 having delivered nearly 2 billion doses of vaccines to 146 economies, and averted an estimated 2.7 million deaths in AMC lower-income participating economies.
Gavi and Moderna agree to cancel remaining volumes under existing COVAX supply agreement.
The COVAX Facility is seeking expressions of interest from the subject matter experts to join the COVAX Independent Product Group. The Independent Product Group (“IPG”) is established to provide scientific advice on COVID-19 vaccines and…
Gavi’s Board Meeting emphasizes public health impact with renewed push for routine immunization and reaching zero-dose children.
COVAX calls for urgent action to close vaccine equity gap
COVAX has access to enough COVID-19 vaccines to help protect 70% of the population in 91 lower-income countries
The White House today announced that US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance have partnered to create the COVAX Rapid Financing Facility, which will provide up to US$ 1 billion to accelerate COVID-19…
World leaders commit US$ 4.8 billion to help Break COVID Now
Summit sees US$ 4.8 billion in commitments, securing vital cash to help lower income countries boost vaccinations now, secure equitable access for new vaccine procurements plus additional help for countries looking to procure their own vaccines…
COVAX in humanitarian settings
COVAX has supplied nearly half of the vaccines administered by governments in humanitarian settings and, along with the UN’s Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), set up the Humanitarian Buffer to address the hardest-to-fill gaps in fragile and conflict contexts.
Gavi Board
Gavi was the legal administrator of the COVAX Facility, and overall Facility governance was overseen by the Gavi Board. The Gavi Board continues to have oversight over the Gavi COVAX AMC which still exists despite the closure of the COVAX Facility.
Gavi’s 26-member Board consists of a broad range of actors including WHO, UNICEF, civil society, industry academia, and sovereign governments, split equally between Gavi implementing and donor countries. It is responsible for strategic direction and policy-making, oversees the operations of the Vaccine Alliance and monitors programme implementation.
COVAX Facility AMC Engagement Group (AEG)
Membership: The AEG was open to all Gavi COVAX AMC implementing countries, donors, other partners engaged in financing and operations of the AMC portion of the Facility. A representative each from WHO, PAHO, UNICEF, the World Bank, and civil society had a permanent observer seat.
Mandate: The AEG was established in 2020 to provide strategic guidance and advice to the Office of the COVAX Facility on the operational aspects of the COVAX Facility. It received regular updates from the Office of the COVAX Facility, including reports on overall activities, and decisions or recommendations made by COVAX technical bodies and the Gavi Board.
Meeting minutes
- 2022: 15 March | 8 June | 28 September | 30 November
- 2021: 27 January | 17 March | 17 May | 12 July | 12 October | 6 December
Co-Chairs
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Harjit Sajjan |
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Retno L.P. Marsudi |
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Lia Tadesse |
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COVAX Facility Shareholders Council (SHC)
Membership: The SHC was open to all self-financing participants (SFPs) of the COVAX Facility. A representative from the AMC Engagement Group and a representative each from WHO, PAHO, UNICEF, the World Bank, civil society and had a permanent observer seat.
Mandate: The SHC was established in 2020 to provide strategic guidance and advice to the Office of the COVAX Facility on the operational aspects of the COVAX Facility. It received regular updates from the Office of the COVAX Facility, including reports on overall activities, and decisions or recommendations made by COVAX technical bodies and the Gavi Board.
Meeting minutes
- 2022: 16 March | 31 May | 1 December
- 2021: 28 January | 18 March | 18 May | 14 July | 14 October | 8 December
Co-Chairs
 | Dr Chrysoula Zacharopoulou | |
 | Dr. Fernando Ruiz | |
What COVAX achieved
>1.8 billion free doses and safe-injection devices
>2.7 million deaths averted
>50% of vaccine supply in most lower-income economies
>US$ 12 billion raised
87 AMC lower-income economies received COVAX-supplied doses
Office of the COVAX Facility
The Office of the COVAX Facility was hosted by the Gavi Secretariat. It coordinated the end-to-end work of COVAX across partners, participants and donors to secure access to, allocate and distribute COVID-19 vaccines in line with WHO policy recommendations.
2022–2023
Dr Derrick Sim, former Managing Director, Office of the COVAX Facility, is currently Gavi’s Managing Director for Vaccine Markets & Health Security.
2020–2022
Aurelia Nguyen, former Managing Director, Office of the COVAX Facility, is currently Gavi’s Chief Programme Officer.
How to access COVID-19 vaccine support: information for lower-income economies
In 2024 and 2025, support for COVID-19 vaccination is provided through regular Gavi programmes.
Gavi Vaccine Funding Guidelines
Engaging stakeholders around the world
Find out how COVAX and the Facility coordinated and implemented workstreams, engaged with and shared information across hundreds of countries and partners, took decisions and managed governance through a crisis of unprecedented scale.
Key COVAX articles
View moreHow did Kenya surpass its 2021 COVID-19 vaccination target?
Kenya was aiming to reach 10 million people with COVID-19 vaccines by the end of December 2021. Thanks to a clear strategy, COVAX support and the hard work of thousands of health workers, they reached their target.
We can stop the cycle of new variants continuing indefinitely with a pandemic vaccine pool
Without it we could face further delays in the global rollout and risk the gulf between the vaccine haves and have nots widening.
COVAX and the other international organizations committed to vaccine equity cannot end the COVID-19 pandemic without the continued support of governments, industry, and civil society. By working together, the world has a chance to tame the…
Vaccination started off slow, but has steadily increased over 2021 thanks to public health messaging and vaccine deliveries.
All around the world, COVAX deliveries are helping to protect frontline health workers, reach nomadic communities, reunite families and allow schools to reopen. Since deliveries began in March, #VaccinesWork has been publishing snapshots that…
How the public came together to support COVID-19 vaccines for the world’s most vulnerable
People around the world have demonstrated global solidarity by donating to the COVAX Facility, providing vaccines to those who would otherwise have no access.
COVAX documents
Explore COVAX
A historic multilateral effort co-led by Gavi, CEPI, WHO and UNICEF from 2020 through 2023, COVAX pushed to centre vaccine equity at the heart of the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic. COVAX will come to a close on 31 December 2023.
Managing the end-to-end coordination of COVAX, ensuring pooled procurement and equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines around the world.
The Gavi COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC) ensured access to COVID-19 vaccines and support for lower-income countries.
COVAX in humanitarian settings
Addressing the most unpredictable and hard-to-fill gaps in access.
Last updated: 5 Feb 2025