Brussels – Last night, during the Global Citizen festival at the sidelines of UNGA, President von der Leyen pledged €260 million to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance for 2026 and 2027.  

The ONE Campaign, Global Citizen, Global Health Advocates and Save the Children, reacted: “We applaud President von der Leyen’s efforts to ensure equitable access to vaccines for children around the world.   

We urge European leaders to build on the Commission’s leadership and commit to fully funding Gavi’s life-saving mission. Gavi’s proven track record – immunizing over 1 billion children and preventing more than 17.3 million deaths – are proof of its effectiveness. 

Today’s announcement is further recognition of the fact that in our interconnected world, health security is only as strong as the weakest link. The Commission’s initial pledge of €260 million to Gavi for 2026-2027 and their intention to increase their support following the EU’s long term budget negotiations, will enable Gavi to vaccinate over 500 million additional children and save 8 to 9 million lives over the next 5 years.