• The high-level pledging summit, culminating Gavi’s 6.0 replenishment cycle, will be co-hosted in Brussels by the European Union and the Gates Foundation

• The event will bring together global leaders from government, partner organisations, vaccine manufacturers, civil society and the private sector to secure crucial investments in life-saving immunsation programmes

• Investments in immunisation through Gavi are vital for saving millions of lives and fostering economic growth and prosperity in lower-income economies by ensuring that communities worldwide are protected from diseases, outbreaks and epidemics

Geneva, 5 December 2024 – The European Union and the Gates Foundation will co-host a high-level pledging meeting in support of Gavi’s replenishment for its next five-year strategic period, from 2026–2030. The event, convening leaders from government, partner organisations, vaccine manufacturers, civil society and the private sector, will be held in Brussels in the first quarter or early in the second quarter of 2025.

Gavi, which has transformed global immunisation since 2000, protecting over 1.1 billion children, saving 18.8 million lives and generating over US$ 250 billion in economic benefits for lower-income economies, is seeking to raise at least US$ 9 billion for its next strategic period. This period, called “Gavi 6.0”, is anchored on three key pillars: protecting the world against pandemics and disease outbreaks; protecting people by vaccinating more children against more diseases than ever before; and protecting communities by reducing the number of ‘zero-dose’ children and strengthening health systems. During the Gavi 6.0 strategic period, Gavi implementing countries will contribute a record 46% towards the total cost of vaccines, up from just 10% a decade ago.

Steadfast partnerships

The European Union has been a long-standing and impactful partner of Gavi. Including support for Gavi’s COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC) during the pandemic and financial instruments extended through the European Investment Bank (EIB), the EU has contributed more than €3.2 billion in financing to Gavi since 2003.

More broadly Team Europe, which includes individual EU member states and EU institutions, remains collectively Gavi’s largest contributor, with contributions to Gavi’s current 2021–2025 strategic period totaling approximately €2.55 billion, or a third of total donor contributions. Additionally Team Europe collectively contributed around €800 million to Gavi’s African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator (AVMA), an innovative finance mechanism designed to accelerate the expansion of commercially viable vaccination manufacturing in Africa.

The European Commission has also already committed to funding Gavi 6.0, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pledging €260 million for 2026 and 2027 at the Global Citizen Festival in New York in September.

President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said: “In today’s world, addressing health challenges at the global level is more important than ever. Vaccines have a life-saving power. And Gavi’s role is key for making equitable vaccine access a reality, and for empowering our partners to achieve health sovereignty. Together with Gavi, we have the goal to vaccinate 500 million children by 2030. That is why the European Union is proud to co-host Gavi’s High-Level Pledging Summit in Brussels. Our support will remain steadfast.”

António Costa, President of the European Council, said: “In a multipolar world, the EU has an essential role to play to address global health threats and unprecedented challenges to people and communities. Vaccine availability is vital not only for humanity, but also to restore global economic activity and prosperity. The forthcoming Gavi’s High-Level Pledging Summit in Brussels reaffirms the EU’s commitment to build sustainable partnerships with countries in need of health security. Multilateral collaboration is vital for pandemic preparedness and responsiveness.”

As a founding partner of Gavi, the Gates Foundation has been instrumental in bringing global attention to the critical importance of immunisation and a key proponent of using innovative approaches to solving market challenges in lower-income countries. Since 2000, the foundation has committed US$ 6.1 billion to Gavi, including a pledge of US$ 1.6 billion for Gavi’s current strategic period. It has also been at the forefront of many innovative approaches pioneered by Gavi, including being an early donor to Gavi’s first Advance Market Commitment (AMC) to expedite the development and availability of pneumococcal vaccines and helping create more robust vaccine markets that lower prices to ensure vaccines are accessible to children in lower-income countries.

“When the Gates Foundation made its first investment in Gavi 25 years ago, I couldn’t have predicted the extraordinary impact it would have on combatting infectious diseases, lifting up economies and saving lives,” said Bill Gates, Chair, Gates Foundation. “The foundation is proud to join the European Union to co-host Gavi’s pledging summit, and we look forward to our continued partnership to build a safer and healthier future.”

Alongside the European Union and Gates Foundation as co-hosts, leading international advocacy organisation Global Citizen will be a strategic partner in supporting advocacy, campaigning and event production. Dedicated to achieving the end of extreme poverty, and powered by a community of millions of people around the world, Global Citizen will aim to strengthen support from leaders and citizens to act on vaccine equity, sustainable economic development and poverty reduction.

Gavi’s most ambitious strategic period ever

A successful replenishment for Gavi will enable the Vaccine Alliance to implement its most impactful strategic period ever. Outcomes, as set out in Gavi’s Investment Opportunity, are expected to include: immunising at least 500 million children; saving an additional 8–9 million lives; generating at least US$ 100 billion in economic benefits for Gavi implementing countries; unprecedented levels of co-financing, with implementing countries contributing US$ 4 billion towards the cost of immunisation programmes; and boosting global health security by responding to 150 disease outbreaks.

“By investing in Gavi, our donors are investing in a world that is more resilient to disease outbreaks, in economies that are more capable of contributing to global growth and in the futures of over half of the world’s children, whose ability to lead healthy, productive lives is so vital for the future of our planet,” said Professor José Manuel Barroso, Chair of the Gavi Board. “I am deeply grateful to our co-hosts, the European Union and the Gates Foundation, for their leadership and commitment to building a future that is safer, healthier and more prosperous for all.”

“As a physician and former civil society leader and government minister, I can personally attest to the power of collective action in solving our world’s most pressing challenges. The European Union and the Gates Foundation are exemplars of stakeholders that have not only supported Gavi financially since its earliest days but whose political support and expertise has been vital in helping us meet our goals, and I am humbled to have their support for this important pledging event,” said Dr Sania Nishtar, CEO of Gavi.

The Brussels pledging summit will mark the culmination of a replenishment period that began in June 2024 with the Global Forum for Vaccine Sovereignty and Innovation. This meeting, co-hosted by France and the African Union, together with Team Europe partners, saw US$ 2.4 billion raised towards Gavi’s 6.0 funding target as well as the successful launch of AVMA. To date, US$ 2.8 billion has been pledged by donors to Gavi.

Further details of the high-level pledging event will be released in due course.