Title: A 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.
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
This resolution commends the work of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) to expand access to vaccines and immunizations in developing countries, affirms U.S. support for GAVI, and encourages continued collaboration with GAVI to introduce and sustain the use of new and underused vaccines in immunization programs.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 511 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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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 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 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 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;
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
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) commends the work of GAVI and its partners for their 
        efforts to expand access vaccines and immunizations for the 
        most vulnerable men, women, and children in developing 
        countries;
            (2) affirms the continued support of the United States 
        Government for GAVI as an efficient and effective mechanism to 
        advance global health security and save lives by--
                    (A) reducing the incidence of deadly and 
                debilitating diseases;
                    (B) leveraging donor, partner country, and private 
                sector investments in health systems capable of 
                sustainably delivering vaccines and immunizations; and
                    (C) reducing the cost of vaccines while promoting 
                supply chain security and sustainability;
            (3) affirms the support of the United States Government for 
        the goal of securing a minimum of $7,400,000,000 in donor 
        commitments for GAVI's third replenishment, to be held in June 
        2020 in the United Kingdom;
            (4) urges donor countries and private sector partners to 
        step up the fight and increase their pledges for the third 
        replenishment;
            (5) urges GAVI partner countries to continue to make and 
        meet ambitious co-financing commitments to sustain progress in 
        ending vaccine-preventable deaths; and
            (6) encourages the United States Agency for International 
        Development (USAID) and the Centers for Disease Control and 
        Prevention, in cooperation with GAVI, to continue their work to 
        strengthen public health capacity to introduce and sustain the 
        use of new and underused vaccines in routine immunization 
        programs.
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