RESULTS Executive Director Joanne Carter Makes Statement In Response to Historic GAVI U.S. Pledge

“Today the United States made a strong commitment to a global plan to save 4 million lives by vaccinating 250 million children by 2015, pledging $450 million over three years to the GAVI Alliance. We congratulate President Obama’s administration on this decision and pledge our support to ensure this funding is delivered. We also welcome USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah’s commitment to host a high-level conference on GAVI next year, which will be an important moment to assess our progress and hold donors accountable for their commitments.

“New vaccines to help prevent the biggest killers of children — pneumonia and diarrhea — will accelerate our progress on stopping needless disease and death. These new vaccines are game changers, and it is heartening that even in a challenging budget environment, the U.S. can seize new opportunities presented by medical innovation. With foreign aid currently accounting for less that 1 percent of the federal budget, our leadership on global health and our commitment to the poorest people on the planet must not fall victim to senseless budget cuts.

“The GAVI Alliance is an innovative and effective global partnership, which helps deliver new and underutilized vaccines in poor countries, and its efforts have already saved more than five million lives. With significant new funding commitments from the U.K., Australia, Japan, France, and many other donors, this is truly a shared global effort.

“It will ultimately be up to Congress to fulfill this U.S. commitment to help turn the tide against the leading childhood killers. We look forward to working with members of Congress to ensure that this pledge is fully met, and other funding for global health and poverty alleviation remains a top priority.”