Mary Kaluwa witnessed firsthand the devastating impact of malaria on her community in Malawi. She has seen children die or suffer from this disease, one which claims a child’s life nearly every minute in Africa. However, Mary’s young children were born in an era when Malawi, with the support of global health initiatives, successfully rolled out one of the world’s first malaria vaccines. This life-saving intervention has given her children a fighting chance against the disease, showing her that hope is on the horizon.
Immunization stands as the single greatest contribution of any health intervention, ensuring babies not only see their first birthdays but continue to lead healthy lives into adulthood. Over the past 50 years, vaccines have saved close to 154 million lives around the world. That’s six lives saved every minute.
For the first time, vaccines to fight malaria – the leading cause of death for children in many African countries – are being deployed in countries across Africa. Around the world, numerous countries have committed to vaccinating millions of girls against human papillomavirus (HPV), an effort that could defeat cervical cancer. Research indicates that between 2021 and 2030, an estimated 50 million future deaths will be averted by vaccination against 14 key infectious agents if coverage targets are met.
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the inequity between vaccine-producing countries and those that rely on imports. To ensure Africa is better equipped for future pandemics, a new financial mechanism – the African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator (AVMA) – will support the development and regional diversification of vaccine production. Launched a few weeks ago by Gavi, and in collaboration with the African Union and the African Centres for Disease Control, AVMA will save lives and provide increased autonomy on the continent.
Despite recent immunization successes, now is not the time for complacency when 4.9 million children under 5 are still dying from preventable causes each year. A key reason for this, is that over 14 million infants still go without a single vaccine, and more than 6 million others miss out on routine immunizations every year. These children are at risk of having their lives cut short by preventable illnesses, and are more likely to suffer from malnutrition, which weakens their immune systems.
In addition, women and girls are often overlooked because of gender norms that limit their access to healthcare facilities or their decision-making power.
Access is another key issue. A significant proportion of children who still lack essential vaccines live in communities poorly served by health services due to political or geographical barriers. While the world is still recovering from the delays in routine immunizations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, escalating conflicts, instability, migration, and climate shocks make vaccine delivery more challenging and increase vulnerabilities to certain diseases.
Global health initiatives like Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) were created to correct the inequity of access to vaccines.
Gavi, founded in 2000, is a private-public partnership bringing together multilateral partners, foundations, the private sector, donor governments, civil society organizations, and implementing countries. With the support of donors, Gavi helps secure the supply of vaccines and supports low-income countries to be able to afford them. Gavi has helped immunize 1 billion children, saving over 17 million lives since 2002.
GPEI is another public-private partnership – smaller but complementary to Gavi’s work. It was created in 1988 to eradicate polio by accelerating access to vaccines. Since GPEI was founded, vaccination has enabled 20 million people to avoid being paralyzed by polio.
Canada has been at the forefront of global health. To name just a few examples, we led the Muskoka Initiative for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, made a 10-year Commitment to Global Health and Rights, and were among the first donors to support Gavi’s mission. Most recently, Canada announced a major contribution of $85 million to the African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator. A victory worth celebrating! However, more ambitious support for Gavi and GPEI is necessary.
By supporting Gavi’s 2026-2030 strategy with an investment of at least $720 million, Canada can help reach 500 million more children with routine immunization, prevent 1.5 million women and girls from dying from cervical cancer, and support the vaccination of 50 million children against malaria. By committing $50 million per year to GPEI over the next three years, we can maintain hard-won gains and help achieve the eradication of polio.
Ensuring every child receives access to life-saving vaccines not only secures their future but also sets the stage for a healthier, more resilient world for generations to come.
Join us and take action now to ensure Canada continues to be a global health leader and invests #ForOurFuture.