GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance and How Shifting Political Priorities Could Undercut Vaccine Equity
- Eleanor Valentin
- Jun 28, 2025
- 5 min read
June 27th, 2025
Welcome back to Policies Humanized where we break down the biggest legislative and policy stories, making them clear, personal, and actionable. We believe policy shouldn’t just be reported; it should be understood.
Funding public health efforts and public service may not always appear directly tied to policy, but in reality, funding and policy go hand in hand. Without funding, policies are not actionable. And without policies, funding go unused or misdirected.
As the Gates Foundation piece on June 24th states :International development programs have been severely impacted by declining budgets and shifting political priorities. This piece will touch on recent updates and funding pledge shifts affecting GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, breaking down GAVI as an global health partnership, the work GAVI has and continues to carry out, and what it means to be affected by declining budgets.
About GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance
GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance is a global partnership that works in bringing vaccines into lower-income countries, creating equitable vaccines access. The alliance was founded in 2000 and has since helped vaccinate more than 1.1 billion children across 78 countries in lower-income countries, and prevented over 18 million deaths. GAVI improves access to new and under-used vaccines and in turn helps create economic opportunities for vulnerable communities while making them healthier. In doing so, they advance the goals of building strong primary health care systems and advancing Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
The alliance partners with many global organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations (more specifically UNICEF), and the World Bank. They also have a partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, governments around the world, faith organizations, research groups, vaccine manufacturers, and more. The image above is from the GAVI website showing the types of partnerships they have. Importantly, they have established relationships with the health ministries of areas in which they serve.
What has GAVI done? What do they continue to do?
We believe the to best represent the work of GAVI, they should be described instead of just giving you generic data points, so here is a major example:
COVID-19 Pandemic
When the COVID-19 Pandemic first occurred, no one was really prepared for it. Borders closed, countries went under quarantine, businesses shuttered, and hospital beds filled up day after day. After a few days, it turned into weeks, then months, then more than a year. The development of a cure, drug, and vaccine against the virus was urgent, and finally when vaccines were developed, questions arose about the number of vaccines available, who should get them first, and when you could get yours.
The reality for individuals around the world is so different. For some, access to the vaccine meant waiting for a period of time, for others especially individuals living in low-income countries–so many barriers stood in the way: a vaccine formula that was cheaper to manufacture, patent and intellectual property restrictions, the lack of manufacturing and distribution capacity, lack of funding, a working healthcare infrastructure and more. Additionally, "many routine vaccinations were missed or delayed, resulting in worrying outbreaks globally, notably of measles" during the pandemic (GAVI Investment Opportunity, 2026-2030).
GAVI in April of 2020 funded a wide range of emergency response projects in low-income countries to strengthen their ability to fight COVID-19 and protect health workers. Their major investments included millions of dollars for personal protective equipment (PPE), infection control supplies, and testing kits in countries like Myanmar, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Malawi, and Afghanistan. Funding also supported disease surveillance, lab readiness, and training for healthcare workers. In places like Sudan and South Sudan, GAVI helped establish isolation centers and rapid response teams. Smaller grants to countries such as Timor-Leste, Guinea-Bissau, Bhutan, and Liberia focused on critical needs like transportation, social mobilization, risk communication, and even countering misinformation about vaccines.
GAVI's future plans, as outlined in its GAVI 6.0 strategic framework, are built on ten core principles that shape how the alliance operates and grows. GAVI wants its efforts to be led by the countries it serves, ensuring long-term sustainability and local ownership. It plans to prioritize zero-dose and missed communities (or those who have never received a vaccine), while also being gender-focused, inclusive, and responsive to fragile or crisis-affected regions.
In the years ahead (2026–2030), GAVI will scale up support for climate sensitive and outbreak prone diseases, invest in innovation, and work in collaboration with local and global partners. Importantly, it will also integrate immunization with broader health systems and remain adaptive to new challenges like pandemics, conflict, and migration. Their guiding values aim to ensure that no one is left behind and that vaccine access becomes more equitable, effective, and responsive to local needs especially in the face of growing global health threats.
So Why does it matter to you?
The United States government has made the decision to stop funding GAVI, the vaccine alliance. GAVI currently falls short of its $11.9 billion target for its next five years of work, a large part of which links to the United States decision to withdraw its funding pledge.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the 26th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has long questioned vaccine safety and opposed certain health institutions accused GAVI of undermining vaccine safety and being selective of the science that supports their vaccine choices. GAVI responded to this accusation by stating their commitment to "evidence- based and scientific approaches to its work and investment decisions, as it always has done" (BioSpace).
In Congress, discussions to cut foreign aid and reduce United States participation in multilateral initiatives are not new. In the climate of budget tightening and political polarization, GAVI's work has now become a dangerous target. While GAVI will continue to function with or without U.S. support, the U.S. has been one of the biggest contributors in funding GAVI efforts. With a shortage of funds, less is able to happen.
Global health isn’t just a humanitarian issue, it also concerns security, economics, and our health. GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, plays a crucial role in preventing deadly disease outbreaks around the world. Supporting GAVI means supporting efforts to help communities thrive, prevent the wide spread of diseases, stopping outbreaks, and even preventing pandemics before they happen. Disease does not discriminate and spans across borders including our own.
When we support vaccine access around the world, we’re also protecting American lives, strengthening our economy, and promoting global stability. When we invest in global health, we protect our own.
What Can You Do?
Spread awareness about vaccine misinformation
Talk to your friends, family, and community. Challenge myths with facts and encourage open, respectful dialogues.
Educate yourself about the science behind vaccines
Learn how vaccines work, what they're made of, and how they’re tested. Follow updates from trusted public health organizations and peer-reviewed sources.
Double-check your sources
Not all information online is accurate, even some government or mainstream sources can miss nuance. Cross reference facts, look for scientific evidence, and be cautious of sensational headlines
Stay engaged and informed
Follow the news about global health funding, including what’s happening with GAVI and U.S. policy decisions. Decisions made in Washington DC have ripple effects around the world.
Advocate for global vaccine equity
Contact your representatives, sign petitions, or support organizations that push for equitable access to life-saving vaccines worldwide. Your voice matters.
Remember that Global health impacts local health. Diseases don’t respect borders. And a healthier world is a safer world for all of us.
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