03 CEO report pdf
1
Report to the
GAVI Alliance Board
Board -2013 -Mtg -1-Doc 03
11 -12 June 2013
Report of the Chief Executive Officer
4 June 2013
Dear Board Members,
Our meeting next week comes at a time when the vaccine landscape in the
developing world is changing faster than ever before, and during a record year for
growth in the Alliance?s programmes.
From 2000 until 2012, the Alliance funded around one billion doses of vaccine. This
year alone, we will fund over six hundred million doses. With Somalia?s introduction
of pentavalent vaccine in April, we are now supporting vaccine programmes in 72
count ries. We are also starting funding for our newest vaccines: in the last two
months the first GAVI -supported doses of human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine was
used by Kenya in a demonstration programme, and Rwanda introduced measles -
rubella vaccine. Recen t announcements have shown that we are successfully
shaping vaccine markets. The tremendous attention that the new lower price for HPV
vaccine attracted gave further evidence of the strength of the Alliance and the
coalition working to tackle cancer and i mprove women and girls? health. In this record
year we are expecting to support 33 vaccine introductions into routine schedules, 14
campaigns, and seven HPV vaccine demonstration programmes. In addition to the
HPV and measles -rubella vaccine programmes, measles campaigns are also starting
this year. When the Alliance raised funds to sustain GAVI up to 2015, we were
aiming for the acceleration in vaccine introductions that we are now seeing. We are
having a massive impact on the health and well -being of millions of people.
After almost two years as CEO, I would like in this report to give you an overview of
the issues on the Board agenda, and some early thoughts on GAVI?s next phase.
First let me begin with an update on some of the exciting development s since the last
Board meeting.
The December meeting was followed by the Partners? Forum, which brought together
more than 6 50 leaders, experts and practitioners from across the vaccine world.
During the Forum, Tanzania simultaneously launched pneumococca l and rotavirus
vaccines. In an important example of south -to -south collaboration, Tanzanian
programme managers before the launch visited and studied the experience of
Ghana , which in April last year became the first country to launch the two vaccines
sim ultaneously. When I returned to Ghana in March this year , with Bill Gates, we
saw a country with a strong commitment to its primary healthcare system. What
particularly impressed us was the extent to which data was collected and used at all
levels to str engthen performance. There will be post -introduction evaluations in
Tanzania and Ghana later this year; in both countries the early signs are that the
introductions went well, with high levels of coverage being reported.
