GAVI Alliance pledging conference exceeds goal by US$ 600 million
13 JUNE 2011 | LONDON, ENGLAND – Major public and private donors have committed funding to immunize more than 250 million of the world’s poorest children against life-threatening diseases by 2015 and prevent more than four million premature deaths.
Donors committed US$ 4.3 billion at the first pledging conference held by the GAVI Alliance. This exceeds an initial target of $3.7 billion, enabling GAVI to reach more children faster than planned and to accelerate the introduction of new vaccines. A portion of the pledges are conditional upon GAVI raising additional funds from new donors in the future. Today’s pledges bring GAVI’s total available resources for the period 2011 to 2015 to $ 7.6 billion.
The meeting convened prime ministers, ministers and high-level officials from donor and developing countries, leaders of UN Agencies, CEOs from private companies and senior civil society leaders to make commitments to support GAVI’s life-saving work. The meeting was hosted by the governments of the United Kingdom and Liberia and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Governments more than doubled their previous commitments and new donors will also give for the first time, including Japan and Brazil. GAVI’s largest corporate donor, “la Caixa” Foundation, extended its financial commitment and new donors Anglo American plc and Absolute Return for Kids (ARK) made their first pledges.