Success in efforts to increase vaccination of children in developing countries

The International Finance Facility for Immunization (IFFIm), a pilot project supported by Norway, is a successful part of the effort to reduce child mortality by providing financing for the GAVI Alliance. Norway provides both political and financial support to the Alliance, which runs vaccination and immunisation programmes in developing countries.

“This ground-breaking way of raising aid money has brought tremendous health gains in its first year,” says IFFIm board chairman Alan Gillespie. “It has uniquely boosted countries’ existing immunisation programmes, funded the demand and development of easier-to-administer combination vaccines, and has been flexible in response to urgent immunisation needs.”

In its first year of operations, IFFIm generated nearly USD 1 billion for vaccines and health programmes run in developing countries by the GAVI Alliance. This amount exceeds the total traditional support received by GAVI since it was established. Norway is contributing USD 27 million to IFFIm in the period 2007–2011.
The GAVI Alliance is Norway’s most important funding channel in the effort to give children in developing countries greater access to vaccines. Norway’s annual contribution, which was increased from NOK 300 million to NOK 500 million by the present Government in 2005, makes it the second-largest donor to the Alliance after the US.

IFFIm’s purpose is to mobilise USD 4 billion by 2015, to be used for immunisation and vaccination programmes and to strengthen health systems in developing countries. The funds are administered by GAVI.

Long-term, predictable financing through IFFIm enables GAVI to work with the authorities in developing countries to intensify vaccination programmes, and to help promote long-term health strategies at local level.

IFFIm was established on 28 November 2006 as an innovative mechanism for boosting financial support for GAVI.

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