GAVI Executive Committee Meeting/Videoconference
9 November 2004
Summary Report (PDF - 24K)
Agenda items:
- Interim report of the 2004-05 GAVI Work Plan and provisional final report of 2003 GAVI Work Plan
- Independent Review Committee (IRC) recommendations on new proposals and continued support
- Overview of GAVI phase 2
- Support for immunization services in phase 2
- Rotavirus vaccine supply working group terms of reference
- Bridge financing
- Funding for innovation
1 Interim report of the 2004-05 GAVI Work Plan and provisional final report of 2003 GAVI Work Plan
DECISIONS The GAVI EC:
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2 Independent Review Committee (IRC) recommendations on new proposals and continued support
- The President of The Vaccine Fund will expand upon its financial situation at the December Board meeting; however there are sufficient funds available to support the current recommendations of the IRC.
DECISIONS The GAVI EC:
2.1 Approved the funding recommendations of the IRC new proposals team, and requested the Secretariat to communicate its request to the Vaccine Fund to release $19,973,500 to support these recommendations.
2.2 Approved the funding recommendations of the IRC monitoring team, and requested the Secretariat to communicate its request to the Vaccine Fund to release $41,191,884 to support these recommendations.
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3 Overview of GAVI phase 2
- It is anticipated that policy decisions will be made in stages, ie, that initial policy decisions will need to be made in the next few months, but that additional policies will be considered and adopted in the future.
- It will be important to establish a clear timeline for decisions about country support in phase 2 of GAVI so that countries can be informed of the new opportunities. In addition, there should be a smooth transition from phase 1 to phase 2.
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- When GAVI started it was lauded for its rapid development and success in getting support out to countries very quickly. In retrospect, however, it may be that decisions were made too quickly.
- It will be important that as we move forward, the Alliance takes stock of the lessons learned in the first phase and applies them in decisions made for phase 2. Wide and comprehensive consultation – most importantly with recipient countires – should feed the process.
- In preparing for phase 2, which needs to be done immediately, certain priorities should be protected: expanding access to the basic vaccines; protecting our investments in Hib and hepatitis B; and considering how to add new interventions to immunization systems.
DECISIONS The GAVI EC:
3.1 Recommends to the Board that the initial phase 2 basic package for country support should be approved by June/July of 2005. Guidelines for the country application and review process would then be developed.
3.2 Recommends to the Board that a meeting should be organized for Health Ministers of all eligible countries prior to the World Health Assembly in May 2005, as an opportunity for wide consulation; the thinking should therefore be relatively advanced by that stage to ensure a productive consultation.
3.3 Recommends to the Board that due consideration be given to assigning tasks to partners instead of having specific task forces, ad hoc groups, or consultants do the work.
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4 Support for immunization services in phase 2
- It is not clear that flexibility should be retained as a principle for allocation of Vaccine Fund resources to strengthen immunization services, since other sources of funding (including budget support) may be available at country level that are especially designed to provide flexibility in addressing system-wide issues. This may also distract from a more strategic use of Vaccine Fund resources, for example to ensure the successful and sustained introduction of new vaccines. Furthermore, different approaches to support countries depending on governance and performance levels should be considered.
- In line with the recommendation from the EC retreat, future support for strengthening immunization services should focus on promoting innovative approaches and tools rather than just being used as a mechanism to fill funding gaps.
- The process to develop this broad strategy should be led by a team of partners, especially those with expertise and experience in systems strengthening at country level. The team should be tasked to come up with a more comprehensive and strategic framework for the future support.
DECISIONS The GAVI EC:
4.1 Endorsed the basic framework outlined in the EC paper, with additional consideration for reaching a balance between flexibility and accountability.
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5 Rotavirus vaccine supply working group terms of reference
DECISIONS The GAVI EC:
5.1 Agreed to the Board that the rotavirus vaccine supply working group should develop its negotiating strategy and decide amongst its members who should be involved in negotiations with industry. A small group that includes a representative from UNICEF Supply Division would be most effective.
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6 Bridge financing
DECISIONS The GAVI EC:
6.1 Endorsed the general approach outlined in the EC presentation.
6.2 Agreed that that estimates of the costs of bridge financing should be based on all countries, not a subset of countries. However, decisions as to what is affordable should be based on close consultations with countries and fully involve ICCs.
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7 Funding for innovation
DECISIONS The GAVI EC:
7.1 Agreed that the general approach outlined in the paper could offer an excellent opportunity to build capacity among academic, research, and technical institutions in developing countries. The paper should take into consideration that:
7.1.1 the ISS framework can provide the basis for activities related to innovations; and
7.1.2 this approach promotes country based processes and is not driven by global task forces and consultancies.
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