Nairobi, Kenya, 7 December 2025 – Representatives of civil society organisations (CSOs) from across countries supported by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance came together with members of the Gavi Secretariat team and the CSO fund manager, MannionDaniels, in November. The three-day conference in Nairobi, Kenya, aimed to celebrate success and strengthen collaboration at global, national and regional levels.

With more than 40 attendees, it was an opportunity to connect CSOs with one another, and share the remarkable stories of how they reach ‘zero-dose’ children (who have not received even a single vaccine shot) and under-immunised children in communities affected by climate change, conflict and population shifts.

Expanding CSO impact on vaccine equity

The event highlighted how Gavi’s investment of more than US$ 200 million under the Gavi 5.0 Civil Society and Community Engagement (CSCE) framework, coupled with the ingenuity and determination of CSOs, has enabled vaccine delivery to hard-to-reach areas in some of the most fragile parts of the world.

Among the stories shared was how CSOs in the Burji region of southern Ethiopia advocated to traditional leaders, religious communities and the government; and worked closely with them to vaccinate hundreds of zero-dose children in areas that had been living in medical isolation for years.

In Pakistan, a CSO used a data-driven model to build trust with the government and increase immunisation coverage in a remote area of Punjab across nine antigens from 60% to more than 85%.

And in Mali, CSOs working with women leaders and village heads led to more than 2,100 zero-dose children receiving vaccines in just six months.

Future of CSO engagement under Gavi 6.0

Bringing these key stakeholders together enabled a comprehensive review of how Gavi and CSOs currently work together. The roundtable discussions generated rich insights that will help refine Gavi’s overall CSO engagement approach and inform future strategy and planning for the Gavi 6.0 strategic period (2026–2030).

These findings continue to help develop a planned update to the CSCE framework for Gavi 6.0 that sustains funding allocations for CSOs; strengthens coordination and accountability; and supports locally led capacity and inclusion, allowing communities to fully access vaccines and engage effectively in health systems.

The inspirational stories and in-depth discussions strongly reinforced the desire for Gavi and its CSO partners to build on existing successes and co-create the future for vaccine delivery through CSO engagement for maximum impact.