The Gates Foundation has announced a $1.6 billion commitment to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, over the next five years — a major boost to efforts aimed at protecting millions of children in the world’s poorest countries from preventable diseases.

The announcement was made on Tuesday, ahead of a high-stakes pledging summit scheduled to hold in Brussels on Wednesday. The event, co-hosted by the European Union and the Gates Foundation, seeks to raise $9 billion to support Gavi’s vaccine efforts between 2026 and 2030.

In a statement, Bill Gates, Chair of the Foundation, warned that the number of child deaths globally is likely to rise this year due to sharp cuts in foreign aid. He called the renewed funding for Gavi “the single most powerful step” to prevent the reversal of progress made in global child health.

Gavi is a public-private partnership that works with governments and other organisations to fund and distribute life-saving vaccines for diseases such as measles, diphtheria, and polio.

However, the alliance faces serious financial uncertainty. Former US President Donald Trump’s administration had signalled intentions to cut American contributions to Gavi, which amount to roughly $300 million a year. The potential withdrawal of US support, according to Gavi’s CEO, Dr. Sania Nishtar, could result in approximately 1.2 million additional deaths over five years.

Nishtar noted that if Gavi does not receive the funding it needs, millions of children will be left unprotected against diseases we can already prevent.

The Brussels pledging event is expected to bring together world leaders, donor agencies, and global health organisations to secure financial support for Gavi’s next phase of operations.

Melissa Enoch

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