Technical brief |

70th World Health Assembly Intervention, Agenda Item 14.1

Global Vaccine Action Plan

MSF acknowledges the GVAP Secretariat report and shares the concern of GVAP partners and governments that the global immunization community is off track to meeting the 2020 GVAP goals.

In light of the current discussion, MSF would like to draw special attention to a critical group of countries that we believe is underserved yet represents a key constituency to accelerating progress towards the GVAP targets. So-called MICS – where the majority of the world’s poor reside - are being grossly neglected in the planning and support provided by GVAP partners.

Two years ago at the 68th WHA, resolution 68.6 – co-sponsored by 18 countries – was adopted. This turned the pleas of governments that have for years appealed to the global community for help into concrete action, placing an emphasis on the needs of middle-income countries.

Two years later, we believe that organized and systematic approaches to supporting MICS are still lacking. An effect of this is that high priced vaccines are more slowly adopted by middle-income country governments, leaving a disproportionately higher number of children unprotected from vaccine-preventable diseases. MSF vaccinates in many of these countries and faces similar challenges to governments in securing affordable vaccines, leaving us unable to protect the most vulnerable children.

WHO has recently closed a MICs Task Force that was convened to help alleviate the particular challenges faced by MICs. We urge governments to call on WHO to reconstitute this group and all GVAP partners to accelerate progress towards implementing its MICs-focused strategy.

The remaining three years of the GVAP are critical. GVAP partners must systematically address the needs of middle-income countries while maintaining the support given to the poorest countries of the world. Thank you.

A full list of briefing documents and interventions for the 70th WHA can be found here.

70th World Health Assembly Intervention, Agenda Item 14.1