page_title: International Vaccine Institute
section_title: Background
hierarchical_section_title: International Vaccine Institute / History / Background
caption_attribution_description: English: The signing ceremony for the Establishment Agreement of the International Vaccine Institute. Taken on September 24, 1998. Seated are former South Korea Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Hon. Hong Soon-Young and former IVI Board Chairman, Dr. Barry Bloom.
context_page_description: The International Vaccine Institute (IVI) is an independent, nonprofit, international organization that was founded on the belief that the health of children in developing countries can be dramatically improved by the use of new and improved vaccines. Working in collaboration with the international scientific community, public health organizations, governments, and industry, IVI is involved in all areas of the vaccine spectrum – from new vaccine design in the laboratory to vaccine development and evaluation in the field to facilitating sustainable introduction of vaccines in countries where they are most needed.
  Created initially as an initiative of the UN Development Programme, IVI began formal operations as an independent international organization in 1997 in Seoul, Republic of Korea. Currently, IVI has 35 countries and the World Health Organization as signatories to its Establishment Agreement. The Institute has a unique mandate to work exclusively on vaccine development and introduction specifically for people in developing countries, with a focus on neglected diseases affecting these regions.
context_section_description: In 1992, Dr. Seung-Il Shin, then Senior Health Advisor for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), initiated a study to explore the feasibility of establishing an international institute devoted to vaccine research and development within the framework of the Children's Vaccine Initiative (CVI).
  Based on the results of Dr. Shin's feasibility study, in 1993 the UNDP adopted a formal proposal to establish the International Vaccine Institute (IVI). In 1994, following a call for proposals to host IVI in the Asia Pacific region, the UNDP and the Republic of Korea reached an agreement to host the center in Seoul. In 1995, UNDP opened an interim IVI office on the campus of Seoul National University and the Institute began its initial work and organizational development.
caption: Signing of the IVI Establishment Agreement
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