GENEVA — On Thursday, the leader of the Gavi alliance, a prominent global vaccines organization, announced that they have not yet received any official notice from the U.S. government indicating a potential cut of over $1 billion in pledged support. This comes in light of reports suggesting that the U.S. may be considering slashing funding to various international aid groups.
Earlier this week, a leaked 281-page document from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) suggested that the U.S. plans to end funding for 5,341 initiatives, impacting numerous organizations it has traditionally supported. Among those affected is the Gavi alliance, which plays a crucial role in vaccinating more than half of the world’s children against infectious diseases. This report first surfaced in The New York Times.
Dr. Sania Nishtar, the Chief Executive of Gavi, emphasized the absence of any formal termination notification from the U.S. government. In her statement, she highlighted that Gavi is actively liaising with the White House and Congress to secure the $300 million allocated by Congress for the organization’s operations this year, along with longer-term financial commitments.
Nishtar warned that a reduction in Gavi’s funding would have severe consequences, potentially leading to over 1 million preventable deaths. She noted the substantial contribution of the U.S., which had promised more than $1.5 billion to Gavi through 2030—a pledge rooted in the organization’s establishment back in 2000 by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and the World Bank.
The Geneva-based organization boasts an impressive track record, having facilitated the vaccination of over 1 billion children in 78 low-income countries against diseases like measles, Ebola, and malaria, thus preventing nearly 19 million deaths.
Dr. David Elliman, a children’s health specialist at University College London, criticized the potential withdrawal of U.S. funds from Gavi, describing it as “cruel” and “completely misguided.” He cautioned that an increase in diseases such as measles and tuberculosis anywhere in the world poses a global threat.
The USAID spreadsheet indicates that the U.S. intends to cease support for more than 5,341 groups, including UNICEF, the International Societies of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, Save the Children, Doctors of the World, and Action Against Hunger.