Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, Has Saved Billions — Here’s How Global Citizen Is Helping

For 25 years now, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance has helped build a safer, healthier, more equitable world. With the support of governments, civil society, and communities, Gavi has helped immunize over 1.1 billion children over just a few short decades — protecting an entire generation against life-threatening, infectious diseases.

"Gavi is calling on world leaders and partners to help raise $9 billion in new donor funding. These resources will complement $4 billion in domestic contributions from Gavi-supported countries. Together, this funding will enable Gavi to reach another 500 million children by 2030"

But Gavi’s impact can’t be measured solely by immunization rates and lives saved. Vaccines don’t just save lives — they unlock economic livelihoods and futures. When children are protected from deadly infections, they’re more likely to attend school, grow into healthy adults, and contribute to robust societies and economies. Since its founding in 2000, Gavi’s work has generated an estimated $250 billion in economic benefits— a powerful return on a public health investment.

Now, as the world faces rising threats — from disease outbreaks and climate shocks to rising income inequality worldwide — Gavi is preparing for its most ambitious chapter yet.

A New Goal: 500 Million Children Protected by 2030

Through its 6.0 replenishment campaign, Gavi is calling on world leaders and partners to help raise $9 billion in new donor funding. These resources will complement $4 billion in domestic contributions from Gavi-supported countries. Together, this funding will enable Gavi to reach another 500 million children by 2030, which could prevent over 8 million deaths and generate $100 billion in additional economic impact across 57 countries, primarily in the Global South.

This is so much more than a global health initiative — it’s a blueprint for building resilient communities, thriving economies, and a more equal future for all of us.

Vaccines Are a Global Safety Net

Vaccine equity is a cornerstone of global security in an interconnected world. Gavi plays a critical role in pandemic preparedness and response, helping countries strengthen routine immunization systems while responding to emerging threats. From COVID-19 to Ebola to cholera, Gavi’s model has proven nimble, sustainable, and effective — one that offers a boost rather than a handout to the countries it serves.

Gavi partners with countries to buy vaccines in bulk, reducing vaccine costs and enabling manufacturers to access new markets that might otherwise be considered too risky. By investing in long-term infrastructure, scaling innovation, and collaborating across borders, Gavi helps countries stand on their own. And in a world where the next pandemic is a matter of when — not if — that help is more vital than ever.

What’s at Stake

The challenges ahead to secure global health for all are real:

• In 2023, 14.5 million children still received zero doses of basic vaccines, leaving them vulnerable to a host of deadly diseases and infections.
   
• Adolescent girls in many low-income countries remain unprotected against HPV, a leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide.
   
• Malaria continues to kill nearly half a million children annually, despite the availability of new innovative vaccines.
   
• Climate change is exacerbating disease spread, overwhelming weak health systems that are already fragile to begin with.

But the opportunity we have before us is just as profound. With bold funding and support, Gavi could immunize half a billion more children over the next five years, helping eliminate deadly diseases and lay the groundwork for the world’s next great leap forward in health.

A Track Record of Impact

Since its founding, Gavi has helped deliver nearly 2 billion vaccine doses across 146 countries. These efforts have contributed to the aversion of more than 2.7 million deaths, proving the life-saving impact of immunization at scale.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Gavi enabled access to 10 different vaccine products in low-income countries. Through strong partnerships and supply chain coordination, over $12 billion was mobilized to support vaccine equity — ensuring protection reached even the most underserved populations.

Beyond disease prevention, Gavi’s impact stretches into education, economic development, gender equity, and more. It’s easy to see why. When children stay healthy, they can stay in school. Parents end up spending less on health emergencies. Communities and societies can’t help but grow stronger.

What Comes Next: The Gavi Global Summit

Gavi’s replenishment campaign culminates at the end of June, when world leaders, donors, and advocates will gather in Brussels for the Gavi Global Summit: Health & Prosperity Through Immunisation. Co-hosted by the European Union and the Gates Foundation, in strategic partnership with Global Citizen, the summit has the potential to be a defining moment for global health, enabling Gavi to secure the money it needs to continue building on its life-saving work.

The summit will also spotlight how vaccines contribute to pandemic preparedness, economic resilience, and gender equity, such as by reducing school dropout rates and enabling more people (especially women) to work safely and securely. Vaccines are not just a health solution — they are a key driver in ending extreme poverty. Healthy children can attend school, grow into productive adults, and break cycles of poverty for generations to come. Gavi is also a leader in integrating nutrition programs to maximize its impact. Malnutrition can reduce the efficacy of vaccines’ protective benefits and immunization programs can be a powerful entry point for co-delivery for the children facing the greatest needs.

Real Stories, Real Change

Gavi’s work comes to life best through real-life stories. In Liberia, a mother named Mery Onumah walked hours to a rural clinic in Rivercess County to ensure her child received the new malaria vaccine. Thanks to Gavi’s partnership with the Ministry of Health, World Health Organization (WHO), and UNICEF, that vaccine is now part of the country’s routine immunization schedule, meaning it’s regularly available for all. In just a few months, over 45,000 children in high-burden, hard-to-reach regions have received this life-saving shot.

In Tanzania, a nationwide HPV vaccination campaign reached 97% of its 5-million-girl target — a staggering feat that could change the course of cervical cancer in the country. Backed by Gavi and informed by local research, the government switched to a single-dose HPV vaccine. This shift made the program more efficient, especially post-COVID. On the ground, community health workers like Chuma Bakari walked door-to-door, building trust, answering questions, and ensuring every girl, such as 11-year-old Lisa Peter, had a chance to be protected.

These are not isolated success stories. They represent what’s inevitable when global funding meets local leadership, and when innovation is made equitable and accessible to all.

How Global Citizens Are Taking Action

Global Citizen has already partnered with Gavi in the past to strengthen its push for vaccine equity. During its last replenishment campaign, Global Citizen played a pivotal role in rallying international support by mobilizing public pressure and engaging directly with world leaders, communicating just how important it was to get behind Gavi.

"As Gavi enters its next chapter, we have the chance to protect more children from more diseases, shield the world from future pandemics, and help communities withstand the pressures of conflict, climate change, and inequality."

Reflecting on this partnership, Dr. Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, told Global Citizen: "I am incredibly grateful to the thousands of Global Citizens who have supported Gavi’s mission to save lives and protect people’s health, especially as the world grapples with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Their collective action through inspiring initiatives like Together at Home has helped secure essential funding to prevent diseases, protect the next generation with vaccines, and ensure global health security."

The last Gavi replenishment cycle showed the world what’s possible when countries step up. In the lead-up to the pledging conference in 2021, over 350,000 actions were taken by Global Citizens as part of our Defeat Disease Together Campaign. These efforts helped drive nearly $3.5 billion in commitments — nearly 40% of the funding Gavi received that cycle — including pledges from the US, the EU, Germany, Japan, and the UK.

Overall, the 2020–2021 replenishment campaign secured over $8.8 billion, thanks to both a groundswell of public support and high-level political leadership, including:

• The European Commission contributed €300 million. President Ursula von der Leyen made it clear where the body stood, stating, “Vaccination is a universal human right.”
• Australia, responding to more than 116,000 Global Citizen actions urging the government to step up for vaccine equity, pledged $300 million AUD, helping expand immunization across the Indo-Pacific.
• The UK pledged £1.65 billion — the largest commitment Gavi received that year — cementing its legacy as a global health leader. Hosting the replenishment summit, this show of support echoed its status as one of Gavi’s original founding donors. As then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson put it: “Together, we rise to fulfill the greatest shared endeavor of our lifetime — the triumph of humanity over disease, now and for the generations that follow.”

And supporting future generations is exactly why we’re campaigning behind Gavi again this year. We’re aiming to drive at least 50,000 actions to support Gavi’s 6.0 campaign, elevating the urgency of vaccine equity and helping secure at least three major donor commitments, starting with a renewed UK pledge. Early momentum is already building. Thanks to early pledges from Croatia and Portugal at Global Citizen NOW, we’re calling on more donor governments to step up, including the UK, one of Gavi’s most critical historical partners.

We’ve seen that when Global Citizens raise their voices, world leaders listen. And when that happens, millions of lives can be changed. 

A Generational Opportunity

Vaccines are one of humanity’s most powerful tools. They protect lives, bolster economies, and protect the future.

Gavi’s model is built on innovation, partnership, and sustainability — support that has the potential to empower countries and communities for years and generations to come.

As Gavi enters its next chapter, we have the chance to protect more children from more diseases, shield the world from future pandemics, and help communities withstand the pressures of conflict, climate change, and inequality.

We can’t let this moment pass. Join us in calling on governments to step up at the Gavi Global Summit. Help ensure that no child is left behind—no matter where they’re born.

Take action now to urge the UK and other leaders to step up. Together, we can build a safer, stronger, and more prosperous world. For all.