Fifth
GAVI Board Meeting, 21-22 June 2001, London, England
June 2001
Framework for Strengthening Capacity of National
Immunization Services
GAVI partners define capacity building as enhancing
the ability of national immunization systems to increase and maintain
access to immunization services, decrease the burden of vaccine-preventable
diseases, and expand the use of safe and cost-effective vaccines.
The starting point of capacity is the ability to identify
and document problems on the ground and the power to address them
at the most appropriate level and context.
For GAVI partners, capacity building is a cross-cutting
issue that involves the task forces: financing, advocacy, R &
D and country coordination, regional working groups and ICC partners
at country level.
GAVIs strategy to build capacity has two prongs:
- at national level to use a systematic five-step
approach (benchmarking, assessment, planning, implementation,
monitoring) to address gaps in immunization systems; and
- to map and coordinate GAVI partner activities
at global and regional level to better understand and harmonize
address relevant unfilled gaps and support country-level activities.
Implementation of this strategic framework at the
national level will differ from previous efforts in that it encompasses
the operational elements of immunization systems defined by WHO
(service delivery, vaccine supply & quality, logistics, surveillance,
advocacy & communication), but also targets and focuses capacity
building activities on the three underpinning health system functions:
financing; management; and institutional and human resource strengthening.
Thus, the framework emphasizes links to national governance and
broader health sector development.
The five-step approach will use and strengthen the
mechanisms already endorsed by the GAVI partners: ICCs; assessments;
and the multi-year immunization plan.
To minimize the burden in countries, the capacity
strengthening framework will proceed as far as possible using information
already collected as part of the GAVI process.
The next step will be to benchmark "best practices"
and to test an operational framework for assessment and strengthening
of national capacity-building in 10 to 12 high- and low-performing
countries from different regions. This will contribute to strengthen
the capacity-building component in multiyear plans and focus partner
support at country level.
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