Stepping up efforts for immunization of children in poor countries

Bill Gates, Co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg met in Oslo today. The topic for the meeting was how to further scale up the efforts to immunize children in poor countries.

The two are cooperating on mobilizing other countries and private donors ahead of the 13 June pledging conference for the GAVI Alliance, The global alliance for immunization and vaccines.

"Norway is a global leader in its commitment to development aid and Norwegians should feel proud of their generosity,” said Gates. “If more countries follow Norway’s example, we can save four million lives by 2015 by making sure children everywhere have access to life-saving vaccines”.

Jens Stoltenberg commented that “I am very pleased to work with Bill Gates and the Gates Foundation to get more financing for immunization. They bring an impressive drive, innovation and efficiency to development aid. Immunization is the most effective public health tool. Therefore, more countries should contribute and many countries should invest more in immunization. The meeting next month can be a milestone for commitments if all countries seize the opportunity.”

GAVI Alliance, The global alliance for vaccines and immunization, was founded in 2000 with initial support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Norway. So far, GAVI has contributed to the immunization of 250 million children and, according to the World Health Organisation, saved more than 5 million lives.

Immunization is imperative to save children’s lives and is an important part of reaching United Nations Millennium Development Goal 4, to reduce child mortality by two thirds by 2015 as compared to 1990. The development is positive, in 2010, 7.7 million children died in comparison to the 12 million who died in 1990.

Bill Gates and Jens Stoltenberg (Photo: Office of the Prime Minister)

• The press conference with Bill Gates and Jens Stoltenberg on web-tv
• Read more about Norway and the UN Millennium Development Goals
• More photos on Flickr