Statement at Global Citizens Festival

Check against delivery

Thank you all – your engagement is making a difference. 

I am here to declare that Norway wants to work with you to help save millions of precious lives.

By ensuring children get the necessary vaccines we will be able to greatly reduce child deaths.

The best way to reach children with vaccines in some of the world’s most remote, vulnerable and marginalized communities is through GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance.

That’s why Norway has been a major funder of GAVI since 2001 and is committed to ensuring children everywhere have access to vaccines.

Working together we’ve helped save more than 6 million lives. Now we must do more.

Gavi’s strategic plan is to save at least 5 million lives in the period 2016 to 2020.

Norway have committed USD $215 million for next year - and we will do more.

I am proud to announce that we will continue to give this much annually over the following years - provided other countries and donors also significantly increase their support for Gavi.

To put that in perspective – over the next few years, every single Norwegian citizen, child or adult, will each year contribute 40 American dollars to vaccination. 40 dollars is enough to get a child fully immunized - even with the most expensive vaccines available.

We will do more than saving lives – we will also give the children in the poor world a better future.

Norway is therefore doubling our total support for education over the next few years.

As new generations of educated girls become women and mothers, they make sure their daughters as well as their sons get the necessary vaccines , nutrition – and, equally important, education.

Education saves lives and it gives children and nations a better future.

Thank you for your support. Thank you for all you are doing. Together, our voices can make a difference.