GAVI
and the Vaccine Fund solicit proposals from countries The Global
Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization and the the Vaccine Fund have just updated
the guidelines and application forms for submission of proposals and invite eligible
countries to submit proposals to the GAVI Secretariat. The closing date for
the next round is 30 September 2002. Proposal documents are
provided here in English, French and Russian. Available
forms of support Currently, the Vaccine Fund provides governments
the following support: (1) new and under-used vaccines currently hepB,
Hib and yellow fever, (2) funding to help governments strengthen their basic immunization
services, and (3) safe injection equipment in the form of auto-disable (AD) syringes
and safe disposal boxes. Criteria Only
national governments may receive support from the Vaccine Fund (NGOs, research
institutes, etc., are not eligible). Basic eligibility for support has been set
according to national income: countries with GNP per capita below $1,000
74 in all are eligible. The general criteria for funding
are: - A well-functioning national mechanism to coordinate
activities among health ministry, multilateral agencies, donors and other groups
including NGOs (often called an Inter-agency Collaborating Committee, or ICC);
- A
comprehensive assessment of the immunization program within the last three years;
and
- A multi-year plan for routine immunization (incorporating
recommendations of above-mentioned assessment).
In addition,
based on a decision of the GAVI Board at its June 2001 meeting to place special
emphasis on safety of immunization, a new general criterion has been added:
- Strategy for improving safety of injections in the immunization
system.
Decisions about eligibility for the different
forms of support (see above) is based on the countries DTP3* coverage rates
as follows:
Immunization services funding | | <
50% | New vaccines AND immunization services | | 50-80% |
New vaccines | | >
80% | Injection safety equipment | | all
countries that have been approved for any kind of support |
* Represents a full, three-dose cycle of diphtheria,
tetanus and pertussis vaccine under age 1. The steps
All eligible countries are invited to submit proposals, with 10-day reviews held
in Geneva throughout the year. Countries are strongly encouraged to prepare their
proposals in collaboration with their national partners. Alliance members at the
country level (usually an ICC) are required to sign the proposals, thereby indicating
their endorsement and agreement with the information provided. The
Guidelines for Proposals and Application Form (see attached) are available in
English, French and Russian; proposals are accepted in either English or French.
The review/the reviewers Proposals are reviewed at set times
throughout the year in Geneva by a group of independent experts in health and
immunization (see attached for composition of Independent Review Committee). Currently
there are nine reviewers, eight of whom are from developing or middle income countries.
Some are current or previous EPI managers, directors or medical services or the
like, one is a health economist (a health minister was previously on the Committee).
No country documentation is sent out to the reviewers before the review sessions
in Geneva. Prior to their review by the Committee, each proposal
has been pre-assessed by a WHO expert group which looks at consistency of information,
validity of data provided, coordination with polio eradication and injection safety
efforts. Their feedback is provided in written form to the Independent Review
Committee for their use during deliberations on the proposals.
The review results in recommendations as follows: - Approval
- Approval
with clarifications some details or numbers have to be clarified, decision
subsequently to be taken by the Secretariat, usually within a month.
-
Conditional approval deficiencies in one or more major areas; response
to conditions to be reviewed again by the review committee at a later round.
- Resubmission
Major deficiencies or incomplete proposals. Full re-submission and new
review at a later round required.
The review committee
recommendations are forwarded to the GAVI Board for decision. To date, the GAVI
Board has accepted all of the independent review committee recommendations. The
Vaccine Fund Board usually meets within hours to confirm the GAVI Board decision.
To date, the Vaccine Fund Board has confirmed all of the decisions made by the
GAVI Board, without exception. The review process from
the cut-off date for submission of proposals, to notification of review outcome
to countries is executed within six to eight weeks. The
guidelines and form for proposal submissions appear below. They were revised in
August 2002 (Revision 4). This version should be used for all proposals henceforth.
You may download Microsoft Word versions of the proposal documents: ENGLISH:
FRENCH: RUSSIAN: You
may also download Microsoft Word versions of the annual report form: Guidelines
for preparing a national immunization program financial sustainability plan. If
you have questions, please contact your local UNICEF or WHO office, or the GAVI
Secretariat at gavi@unicef.org |