Indonesia pledges $30m to Gavi to support global vaccinations

The Republic of Indonesia will give $30 million to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance to support global immunizations efforts for children in low income countries.

Gavi is a public–private partnership that was founded in 2000 to help vaccinate children against deadly diseases, including malaria, Ebola, and COVID-19. It is funded by governments around the world and by dozens of other organizations, with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation being the largest non-government contributor. According to its website, the Gavi has helped immunize more than 1.1 billion children since its inception, saving an estimated 18.8 million lives.

Indonesia – the fourth most populous country in the world – is the first middle-income country to contribute to Gavi’s next strategic period, dubbed Gavi 6.0. The strategic framework behind Gavi 6.0 emphasizes ten principles. Among other goals, those principles promote vaccine equity and engage countries and their communities toward collaborations that can overcome healthcare shortfalls.

The pledge followed a two-day meeting in Indonesia where the Gavi board approved measures to improve vaccine access in fragile and low-income countries while addressing the needs of middle-income countries that are in the process of transitioning toward self-reliance and away from the Gavi support structure.

According to Gavi, Indonesia became a recipient of the alliance’s support in 2002. “In the last 20 years, we saw a drastic reduction in child mortality,” said Budi Gunadi Sadikin, minister of health in Indonesia. “With Gavi’s immunization program, almost all Indonesian children receive [vaccine] protection.” Since 2017, Gavi has helped the country introduce new vaccines for pneumococcus, rotavirus, and human papillomavirus.

“We welcome with deep gratitude this pledge, as well as Indonesia’s continued commitment to championing the vital importance of immunization in building a healthier, safer and more equitable world,” said José Manuel Barroso, chair of the Gavi Board. “Indonesia’s extraordinary journey with Gavi underscores how sustainable investments in vaccines can transform lives, health systems and countries.”

Sania Nishtar, CEO of Gavi added, “Against a backdrop of historic progress, decisions taken by our Board today reflect a collective commitment of our partners to strengthen immunization systems, tackle health inequities, and place countries firmly on the path to sustainable transition. As we prepare for  our next strategic period starting in 2026, we must continue to innovate to address the new challenges we face and achieve the goal of protecting people, communities, and our world from preventable disease.”

In September, Gavi collaborated with Bavarian Nordic to distribute MVA-BN mpox vaccines to African countries.