EU and Bill Gates host vaccine fundraising summit in Brussels
The European Union and the Gates Foundation are co-hosting a pledging conference in Brussels on Wednesday, hoping to collect 9 billion dollars to vaccinate children amid a funding squeeze.
The summit is being held in support of Gavi, a global vaccine alliance uniting public and private partners to vaccinate children worldwide against deadly diseases. Gavi aims to immunise at least 500 million children over the next five years, which it says would save 8 to 9 million lives.
Funding squeeze
The event, which is taking place at Bozar in Brussels, comes amid a pullback in funding by governments, including those of the United Kingdom and the United States. The Trump administration has indicated plans to cut around 300 million dollars in annual funding for Gavi. The alliance's CEO, Sania Nishtar, has said this could result in an additional 1.2 million deaths within the next five years.
On Monday, Reuters reported that US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was set to deliver a video address at the event. According to the news agency's sources, it is unlikely that Kennedy will announce new US funding. Instead, the long-standing vaccine sceptic is expected to discuss "the restructuring of foreign assistance".
'Man-made global health crisis'
Bill Gates, whose foundation is one of Gavi's biggest sponsors, has travelled to Brussels for the event. Speaking at the European Parliament on Tuesday, he criticised cuts to international development aid by the US and other countries, saying they are causing a "man-made global health crisis".
On Tuesday, the Gates Foundation announced its plan to fund Gavi with 1.6 billion dollars over the next five years, maintaining the same level of investment as before. The European Commission has pledged 260 million euros to the alliance for 2026 and 2027, with more funding to be announced.
© PHOTO SIMON MAINA / AFP
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