The Diplomat
Spain will host a high-level summit on immunisation in conjunction with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday, although the exact date has not yet been finalised.
The meeting will bring together representatives from multilateral organisations, governments, business, academia and civil society to discuss the state of immunisation in Gavi-supported countries and work towards the future.
Gavi has been one of Spain’s main partners in global health for the past two decades and cooperation has been strengthened in the context of the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. The meeting to be held in June will further deepen this relationship and continue to promote global health, according to the department.
Spain became a Gavi donor in 2006 as one of the six original IFFIM (International Finance Facility for Immunisation) partners and is a donor to this innovative financing mechanism, with a total commitment of 290 million euros.
So far, Spain has played a leading role in the response to the Covid-19 pandemic as one of the largest donors of vaccines through the COVAX delivery mechanism, a partnership created to ensure equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines that includes more than 190 countries.
To date, COVAX has distributed more than 52 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines donated by Spain through its mechanism and several million additional doses are in the pipeline. Spain has also contributed funds for the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC).
It has also been the first donor to Gavi’s initiative to introduce the world’s first malaria vaccine, which will save children’s lives on the African continent.
