Back to
Vaccines being delivered by motorcycle in rural Kenya. Credit: GAVI/2013/Evelyn Hockstein.
Davos, Switzerland, 18 January 2017 - Deutsche Post DHL Group, the leading global mail and logistics company, and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, today announced a global partnership to help improve vaccine supply chains in developing countries.
As immunisation programmes expand to deliver new, life-saving vaccines to more people, often in remote areas, they are increasingly constrained by outdated supply chains. With vaccine volumes continuing to increase and the persistence of often weak or broken health systems, there is a critical need for improvements in immunisation supply chain infrastructure.
This enhanced relationship will allow Deutsche Post DHL Group to contribute its world class supply chain expertise and network towards making a real difference to vaccine distribution in the developing world – and, with this, to improve lives.
Frank Appel, CEO of Deutsche Post DHL Group
Over the next three years, the new partnership will be vital in helping to provide countries with efficient supply chain solutions to improve healthcare delivery. Deutsche Post DHL Group’s industry-leading logistics expertise in life sciences and healthcare, combined with the global DHL transportation network, will help countries overcome challenges, and make the vaccine supply chain more efficient.
This should allow countries to increase immunisation coverage, reduce vaccine wastage and better ensure vaccine availability and potency. Most importantly, DHL’s support will lead to a reduction in child mortality.
Kenya is one of the first countries to benefit from the new partnership, announcing a new initiative with DHL, the logistics unit of Deutsche Post DHL Group. Together Gavi, DHL and the Kenyan Health Ministry will test a dedicated transportation management solution for the efficient distribution of vaccines throughout the East African country. Incorporating a control tower called a Transport Support Hub, to better manage and coordinate third-party transport carriers and the use of DHL’s own global transportation network, the solution will improve the speed and reliability of vaccine deliveries to hospitals, clinics and medical professionals.
“We are proud to support Gavi in its important societal role,” says Frank Appel, CEO of Deutsche Post DHL Group. “This enhanced relationship will allow Deutsche Post DHL Group to contribute its world class supply chain expertise and network towards making a real difference to vaccine distribution in the developing world – and, with this, to improve lives.”
Robust vaccine supply chains are a vital part of building strong health systems, so that children, parents, and communities can be reached wherever they live with life-saving vaccines.
Dr Seth Berkley, Gavi CEO
Dr Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, emphasised the importance of the new partnership. “Robust vaccine supply chains are a vital part of building strong health systems, so that children, parents, and communities can be reached wherever they live with life-saving vaccines,” he said. “DHL’s expertise in healthcare delivery and its footprint in sub-Saharan Africa will help the partnership develop and test innovative solutions aimed at increasing our impact.”
This project is part of Gavi’s private sector engagement strategy. This seeks to build a cluster of a private sector partners, which address critical bottlenecks in immunisation coverage and equity in Gavi-supported countries. By focusing the expertise and technology of the private sector on the immunisation supply chain, data quality, and demand generation, Gavi aims to accelerate progress and make a lasting impact.
Deutsche Post DHL Group’s new engagement with Gavi is guided by the Shared Value proposition – the notion that the partnership can help society and the environment while, at the same time, contribute to the success of Deutsche Post DHL Group’s business.
Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance is funded by governments (Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, the People’s Republic of China, Republic of Korea, Russia, South Africa, Spain, the State of Qatar, the Sultanate of Oman, Sweden, United Kingdom, and United States), the European Commission, Alwaleed Philanthropies, the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, as well as private and corporate partners (Absolute Return for Kids, Anglo American plc., The Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, Comic Relief, the ELMA Vaccines and Immunization Foundation, The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Wholesalers (IFPW), the Gulf Youth Alliance, JP Morgan, “la Caixa” Foundation, LDS Charities, Lions Clubs International Foundation, Majid Al Futtaim, Philips, UPS and Vodafone.
Click to view the full donor list.
