Washington D.C. – ONE today welcomed an announcement by Bill and Melinda Gates to launch a “decade of vaccines” with significant investments in the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) and other organizations critical in the development and distribution of life-saving vaccines. ONE also called today’s announcement a catalyst for other donors and the international community to step up their investments in effective, proven initiatives that are savings millions of lives in the poorest countries on the planet.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Bill Gates announced that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will invest 10 billion dollars over 10 years in the research, development and distribution of vaccines. Vaccines are cost-effective tools for reducing child deaths, preserving health and ultimately establishing a foundation for healthier, more productive communities.

“Today’s investment is more than just a demonstration of Bill and Melinda Gates’ confidence in the capability of organizations involved in delivering vaccines, it’s a testament to their belief in catalyzing transformative change. As big a difference as this new investment will make, the Gates Foundation alone can only do so much. This announcement must be met by donor governments and the international community as a challenge to accelerate their own investments in effective organizations, like GAVI and UNICEF, that are delivering results in lives saved and disease prevented,” said Sheila Nix, U.S. Executive Director of ONE.

“Thanks to smart investments through the Gates Foundation and programs like GAVI, we are working to save more lives every year, particularly lives that have just barely begun. But despite these successes over the last 10 years, it is clear that the need still greatly outpaces the available treatment. We must continue to build upon these effective, accountable efforts, while at the same time expanding our prevention efforts to allow children to live long and healthy lives,” Nix continued.

Bill Gates’ announcement comes one day after Canada Prime Minister Stephen Harper said he will prioritize maternal and child health issues in developing countries on the agenda of the upcoming G8 and G20 summits.

Every year, approximately 600,000 poor children globally die from severe diarrhea caused by rotavirus, despite the fact that an effective, affordable vaccine exists. Pneumococcal disease kills 1.6 million people annually, more than a million of whom are under five years of age. The additional funds from the Gates Foundation will support and facilitate the distribution of vaccinations in developing countries to save more children’s lives from diseases like these and also improve health systems in comprehensive ways.