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, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Mr. WYDEN, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mr. DURBIN, and Mr. MERKLEY) 

submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 

on Foreign Relations 

JUNE 3, 2020 

Reported by Mr. RISCH, with an amendment and an amendment to the 

preamble 

JUNE 16, 2020 

Considered, amended, and agreed to with an amended preamble 

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; 


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SRES 511 ATS 

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 infectious 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 5th 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 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; 


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Whereas country ownership and sustainability are at the core 

of the GAVI model, which requires each eligible country 

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, 3 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 and 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; 


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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; 

Whereas GAVI is already helping countries maintain life-saving immunization programs in the midst of the ongoing 

COVID–19 pandemic to prevent multiple outbreaks and 

further loss of life from vaccine-preventable diseases; 

Whereas GAVI also is working to help countries meet the 

threat of COVID–19 by providing vital resources, training, and supplies to help protect health workers and expand access to diagnostic testing; 

Whereas GAVI will play a critical role in helping to rebuild 

immunization systems so that once the immediate crisis 

is over, catch-up immunization campaigns can begin and 

COVID–19 vaccines can be introduced; 

Whereas, in April 2020, GAVI joined the Access to COVID– 

19 Tools Accelerator, a collaboration of global health organizations aimed at accelerating development, production, and equitable access to new COVID–19 technologies, serving as the co-lead of the vaccines work 

stream within the initiative; 

Whereas, on June 4, 2020, the United Kingdom will host an 

online virtual Global Vaccine Summit, 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 


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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 through 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 to vaccines 

4 and immunizations for the most vulnerable men, 

5 women, 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 

16 (C) reducing the cost of vaccines while pro17 moting supply chain security and sustainability; 

18 (3) affirms the support of the United States 

19 Government for the goal of securing at least 

20 $7,400,000,000 in donor commitments for GAVI’s 

21 third replenishment conference, to be held on June 

22 4, 2020, hosted by the United Kingdom; 


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1 (4) urges donor countries and private sector 

2 partners to step up the fight against vaccine-pre3 ventable deaths and increase their pledges for the 

4 third replenishment conference; 

5 (5) urges GAVI partner countries to continue 

6 to make and meet ambitious co-financing commit7 ments to sustain progress in ending vaccine-prevent8 able deaths; and 

9 (6) encourages the United States Agency for 

10 International Development (USAID) and the Cen11 ters for Disease Control and Prevention, in coopera12 tion with GAVI, to continue their work to strengthen 

13 public health capacity to introduce and sustain the 

14 use of new and underused vaccines in routine immu15 nization programs. 

Æ 


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