Sania Nishtar, who took the helm of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, nine weeks ago, is steering the organization with a fresh “6.0” strategic framework, aiming to boost impact and efficiency over the next five years. She gave us a sneak peek into her focus areas during a Devex CheckUp @ WHA77 panel on the sidelines of the World Health Assembly in Geneva.
Her key priorities include scaling innovations, simplifying grantmaking, empowering local stakeholders, and enhancing global coordination for seamless vaccine delivery. Gavi is also playing the long game, planning for the next 20 to 50 years to harness scientific advancements for “underprivileged populations.”
Nishtar highlighted the importance of women's empowerment, both within Gavi and in country-facing roles, and said she aims to tackle global challenges like conflicts, climate change, and fragile health systems head-on.
About the author
Helen Murphy
Helen is an award-winning journalist and Senior Editor at Devex, where she edits coverage on global development in the Americas. Based in Colombia, she previously covered war, politics, financial markets, and general news for Reuters, where she headed the bureau, and for Bloomberg in Colombia and Argentina, where she witnessed the financial meltdown. She started her career in London as a reporter for Euromoney Publications before moving to Hong Kong to work for a daily newspaper.
