Australia and Canada have renewed their commitments to providing life-saving vaccines to children in the developing world through new pledges to the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation.
Australia announced it would invest 60 million Australian dollars (USD58.8 million) over the next three years in support of the international organization, which aims to increase access to immunization in poor countries.
Meanwhile, Canada said it would contribute 50 million Canadian dollars (USD49 million) worth of direct funding to GAVI. The new commitment comes on top of the 188 million Canadian dollars the country has invested in the fund since 2001.
Australia’s and Canada’s announcement came as existing and potential GAVI donors and partners met in New York to lay out the groundwork for the fund’s replenishment conference in 2011. The meeting focused primarily on how to mobilize the USD4.3 billion GAVI said it needs to expand its immunization programs in 2010-2015.
>> At GAVI Alliance Donors Meeting, A Focus on Mobilizing Resources
