III 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 511 

Supporting the role of the United States in helping save the lives of children 

and protecting the health of people in developing countries with vaccines 

and immunization through GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 27, 2020 

Mr. RUBIO (for himself, Mr. KAINE, Ms. COLLINS, Ms. CANTWELL, and Mrs. 

SHAHEEN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Supporting the role of the United States in helping save 

the lives of children and protecting the health of people 

in developing countries with vaccines and immunization 

through GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance. 

Whereas access to vaccines and routine immunizations can 

protect children from deadly but preventable diseases, reduce poverty, and contribute to economic growth by enabling people to live longer, healthier, and more productive 

lives; 

Whereas investments in the development and deployment of 

vaccines and immunizations can also help enhance global 

health security by reducing the incidence of deadly and 

debilitating diseases and containing the spread of infecVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:09 Feb 27, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR511.IS SR511

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•SRES 511 IS 

tious diseases before they become pandemic health 

threats; 

Whereas, prior to 2000, resources for and access to vaccines 

for children in the developing world were declining, immunization rates were stagnant or decreasing, and nearly 

10,000,000 children were dying each year before reaching 

their fifth birthday; 

Whereas, prior to 2000, it was common for new life-saving 

vaccines to take up to 15 years to be introduced in the 

world’s least developed countries; 

Whereas, in 2000, the United States Government joined 

forces with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the 

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World 

Health Organization, the World Bank, other donor governments, and representatives of developing countries, 

faith-based organizations, civil society, and the private 

sector, including the vaccine industry, to create the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (now known 

as GAVI or GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance), a public-private 

partnership to expand access to new and underused vaccines, reduce the incidence of deadly and debilitating diseases, prevent epidemics, and save lives; 

Whereas GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance has since supported 

country-led vaccine initiatives in 73 countries, enabled 

immunizations for more than 760,000,000 of the world’s 

most vulnerable children, helped avert an estimated 

13,000,000 deaths, and contributed to a 70-percent reduction in the number of deaths due to vaccine-preventable diseases; 

Whereas country ownership and sustainability are at the core 

of the GAVI model, which requires each eligible country 


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to commit their own domestic resources to vaccination 

and immunization programs; 

Whereas 15 countries have transitioned from GAVI support 

and are now self-financing their own vaccination and immunization programs, three more are expected to transition by the end of 2020, and an additional 10 countries 

are expected to transition by 2025 (in total, 40 percent 

of the original set of GAVI-eligible countries); 

Whereas GAVI has transformed the market for vaccines by 

pooling demand from developing countries, securing predictable financing, expanding the global supplier base, enhancing the competitiveness and security of supply 

chains, and creating efficiencies that are expected to generate an estimated $900,000,000 in savings between 

2021–2025; 

Whereas, in addition to its current portfolio of vaccines, 

GAVI is working to support the roll-out and scale-up of 

newly approved vaccines for diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP) boosters, hepatitis B birth dose, multivalent 

meningococcal, respiratory syncytia (RSV), routine oral 

cholera, and rabies; 

Whereas GAVI also collaborates with the Global Polio Eradication Initiative to bring polio vaccines into routine immunization programs, strengthen health systems, and implement additional polio protections; 

Whereas GAVI has made significant progress in supporting 

the development and stockpiling of an effective vaccine to 

combat Ebola; 

Whereas GAVI is participating in efforts to test and implement an effective vaccine to prevent malaria, a disease 

that kills more than 270,000 children a year; 


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Whereas, in June 2020, the United Kingdom will host 

GAVI’s third replenishment conference, with an ambitious goal to raise $7,400,000,000 in new donor commitments; 

Whereas, with these additional resources, GAVI plans to support the immunization of 300,000,000 children against 

potentially fatal diseases and save an additional 

7,000,000 to 8,000,000 lives between 2021 and 2025; 

and 

Whereas the United States has been a leading supporter of 

GAVI since its inception, and its continued commitment 

will be essential to the achievement of the alliance’s goals 

for 2021–2025: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) commends the work of GAVI and its part3 ners for their efforts to expand access vaccines and 

4 immunizations for the most vulnerable men, women, 

5 and children in developing countries; 

6 (2) affirms the continued support of the United 

7 States Government for GAVI as an efficient and ef8 fective mechanism to advance global health security 

9 and save lives by— 

10 (A) reducing the incidence of deadly and 

11 debilitating diseases; 

12 (B) leveraging donor, partner country, and 

13 private sector investments in health systems ca14 pable of sustainably delivering vaccines and im15 munizations; and 


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1 (C) reducing the cost of vaccines while pro2 moting supply chain security and sustainability; 

3 (3) affirms the support of the United States 

4 Government for the goal of securing a minimum of 

5 $7,400,000,000 in donor commitments for GAVI’s 

6 third replenishment, to be held in June 2020 in the 

7 United Kingdom; 

8 (4) urges donor countries and private sector 

9 partners to step up the fight and increase their 

10 pledges for the third replenishment; 

11 (5) urges GAVI partner countries to continue 

12 to make and meet ambitious co-financing commit13 ments to sustain progress in ending vaccine-prevent14 able deaths; and 

15 (6) encourages the United States Agency for 

16 International Development (USAID) and the Cen17 ters for Disease Control and Prevention, in coopera18 tion with GAVI, to continue their work to strengthen 

19 public health capacity to introduce and sustain the 

20 use of new and underused vaccines in routine immu21 nization programs. 

Æ 


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