Three years ago we made a promise to girls around the world to help end the scourge of cervical cancer. Today we have honoured it.

Back in December 2022 Gavi made a promise. After years of slow progress, Gavi committed to a historic revitalisation of our human papillomavirus – or HPV – vaccine programme.

With US$ 600 million in new investment, we set a target of increasing the number of girls in the world’s most vulnerable countries protected by this lifesaver almost seven-fold, from 13 million to 86 million, and we gave ourselves just three years to do it. By the end of 2024, coverage in Africa had risen to 44%, surpassing coverage rates in Europe.

A target set, a promise kept

It was an ambitious target, which would require reaching new countries with the vaccine and massively expanding existing programmes.

I’m proud to announce that we have met it, ahead of schedule.

The impact of this huge expansion in the availability of and access to the HPV vaccine will be felt for years to come.

An estimated 1 million lives will be saved. US$ 2.3 billion in economic benefits could be realised. And millions of girls across the world will face a future free from the suffering and anguish caused by cervical cancer.

The HPV vaccine is one of the most impactful in our arsenal and the first vaccine against a cancer. It protects against the leading cause of cervical cancer, which takes the life of a woman every two minutes. The vast majority of these deaths happen in lower-income countries, where a lack of access to screening and treatment make it far more likely for a cervical cancer diagnosis to become a death sentence.

That picture is now changing.

Looking to the future

Thanks to a three-year effort supported and coordinated by Gavi, led and enabled by unprecedented commitment from national governments, civil society and partners, more than 50 countries have made the vaccine available free of charge nationwide with Gavi support. By the end of this year the vaccine will be available in countries that collectively account for 89% of all cervical cancer cases globally.

In the coming years, we want to build on this initial success, contributing towards the day when we eliminate cervical cancer altogether. The Gavi Leap reform is designed to make more of these historic milestones possible by empowering countries and enhancing sustainability and sovereignty. With the guiding principle of country-centricity, we have taken concrete steps to be responsive to country needs — giving countries more agency over how resources are deployed and simplifying and streamlining engagement. This simplification will help reduce the number of cumbersome processes and free up time to set - and meet - ambitious goals that will transform health outcomes.

I'd like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication that has been brought to bear in meeting this historic milestone. Today, millions more girls around the globe can hope for a brighter, healthier future and this is something everyone can celebrate.