Fragility is on the rise, and so is Gavi's commitment to tackling it. The scale of fragility and humanitarian need is spiralling, driven by conflict, the accelerating effects of climate change, and political upheaval. Yet, at the same time, we witness an unprecedented withdrawal of funding for a humanitarian system perilously close to collapse. At Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, we've made a conscious decision: far from downsizing, we're increasing our support to populations in fragile and humanitarian settings. This decision comes despite facing a US$ 3 billion shortfall for our forthcoming five-year strategy period, Gavi 6.0. Through our new Fragility & Humanitarian (F&H) Approach, we will invest almost US$ 3 billion over the next five years, allocating nearly 35% of our resources to countries classified as fragile, even though these countries account for only 26% of Gavi's portfolio by the number of children born. Gavi's immunisation support for fragile and humanitarian populations will include:
- Cash support for health system strengthening and immunisation campaigns, which remains stable for fragile and humanitarian contexts, even as cash grants for other Gavi-supported countries face reductions of 20-40%.
- Vaccine support through our newly designed Country Vaccine Budget (CVB), weighted towards fragile countries where the need to lift immunisation rates is greatest, pending Board approval later this week. If approved, vaccine investments per child in fragile and humanitarian contexts will be nearly twice as high as in all other groups of countries.
- New surge financing, including the Gavi Resilience Mechanism (GRM), established to address unforeseen needs in fragile and humanitarian contexts not covered by country plans. This US$ 380 million investment for Gavi 6.0 responds to the unpredictable nature of these contexts, such as health emergencies impacting immunisation or newly arising humanitarian crises.
- Co-financing waivers for countries facing humanitarian crises.
- Collaboration with partners and humanitarians to reach populations and communities outside national immunisation strategies.
- Fragility support for lower middle-income countries not eligible for full Gavi support. Despite a US$ 3 billion funding shortfall, which led to some recalibration of our initial Gavi 6.0 plans, fragile and humanitarian contexts will receive additional funding, an increase of over 15%, compared to our current period. This aligns with Gavi's mission to ensure no child is denied life-saving immunisation due to their birthplace. In the context of broader aid spending cuts, directing more resources to the most vulnerable is the most ethical course. The past five months have been challenging, with reduced operating costs and streamlined organisation within the Secretariat. We'll start 2026 with a significantly smaller Secretariat, but every penny saved means more vulnerable children receive vaccines. This choice as an Alliance to protect the F&H Approach makes me proud to serve as Gavi's CEO. As a child in Pakistan, a physician, and a government minister, I've witnessed fragility and crisis from various perspectives, from devastated communities to children struck by vaccine-preventable diseases. Gavi's support is a lifeline for children and families enduring unimaginable hardship. Our new F&H approach will ensure we reach more vulnerable families with Gavi's support over the next five years than ever before.
