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2nd GAVI Board Meeting
Davos, Switzerland
31 January 2000
Executive Summary (PDF - 20K)
Introduction
1. The meeting was held on 31 January 2000 in Davos during the 30th World Economic Forum.
2. Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland, Director General of WHO and Chair of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) Board, discussed the WEF panel session launch scheduled for later in the afternoon (see Annex 5) and introduced the Agenda and main aim of the meeting. She also referred to the resolution recently adopted by the WHO executive Board regarding the Alliance (Annex 6).
3. Tore Godal, Executive Secretary of the Alliance, then gave a brief overview of the progress and challenges of the Alliance (Annex 1).
Increasing access and strengthening infrastructure
4. The main point on the agenda was to discuss the Alliance strategy for increasing access and strengthening infrastructure based on the working document "Immunize Every Child". In this context the Board emphasized the following:
- Improving access and infrastructure is not only a matter of finances but a significant managerial challenged; capacity strengthening is crucial in building sustainable immunization services.
- Immunization costs per child increase as countries approach 100% coverage.
- The Alliance must complement polio eradication; strengthening infrastructure and increasing access to routine immunization and improving AFP surveillance is critical in polio-endemic countries.
- Reducing mortality from measles by reaching every child with measles vaccine is a high priority.
- The Alliance should look into the issue of technology transfer of vaccine production and safe injection materials in a pragmatic way. The different aspects (including advantages and disadvantages) of transfer of technology should be analyzed and discussed in the GAVI Board in the context of access as well as research and development (R&D).
- NGOs are important stakeholders and partners of the Alliance.
- A comprehensive health perspective must be used when assessing countries investments in health.
- Sub-account 2 of the Global Fund for Children's Vaccines (GFCV) is an important financing mechanism of the Fund.
- The managerial and financial responsibility for sub-account 2 would be carried out on a country by country basis by the international agency best equipped to do an effective job.
- The Board revised and adopted the broad principles of the document "Immunize Every Child" (Annex 2) and decided it should be distributed widely for consultation before being finalized at the June meeting.
5. An update on the Global Fund for Children's Vaccines (GFCV) (Annex 3) was presented by Dr. Mark Kane. The Board:
- Decided there would only be one fund and in this context endorsed the principle of the US charity and the Working Capital Account at UNICEF as two components of a single fund;
- Welcomed the principle of consultation in the appointment of Board Members of the Fund as well as its Executive Director; proposed interim appointments were endorsed;
- Commended the rapid developments towards the Fund's establishment and the initial contribution made of 175 million USD by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation;
- Requested that an "aide memoire" be prepared for resource mobilization purposes to clarify the different mechanisms that contributors can use to support GAVI Objectives.
6. The Board was informed by Dr. Chris Lovelace that work towards establishing an IDA revolving account at the World Bank to strengthen immunization services and the vaccine market is in an advanced stage of development.
7. The Board received an update on R&D-related activities, including incentives for the private sector, and looked forward to discussing this theme in depth at the next Board meeting (Annex 4).
8. The Board requested that for the next Board meeting, the Secretariat and the Working Group outline clear roles and responsibilities relating to the Board's strategic and operational functions.
9. Several Board members expressed the desire to become more involved in the activities of the Alliance and a closer link to the working Group. The Board also decided to hold at least two teleconferences before the next Board meeting.
10. The Board approved revised job descriptions (Annex 7) and authorized the Executive Secretary to proceed with recruitment.
11. The Board looks forward to the next Board meeting, which had been decided in the October 1999 meeting to take place 13-14 June 2000 in the Geneva area for two full days to discuss Alliance matters in depth.
12. The Board acknowledged the excellent presentations made by Mr Michel Zaffran, Dr Mark Kane, Dr Mike Levine and Ms Amie Batson.
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