• As Gavi’s largest sovereign donor, the UK has been essential in protecting 1.1 billion children and driving a 70% reduction in vaccine-preventable child deaths
• From 2026–2030, the UK can help Gavi protect 500 million more children and save over 8 million lives, continuing its global leadership in vaccine equity
• Sir Mo Farah joined The Starting Line campaign to highlight the UK’s vital contributions to ending vaccine inequality and ensuring every child has a fair start in life

London, 28 November 2024 - Today, British Olympic champion Sir Mo Farah joined a cross-party parliamentary event to celebrate the UK’s critical role in promoting vaccine equity around the world and raising awareness of the importance of Gavi’s global immunisation programmes. 

Since its launch in 2000, Gavi has enhanced access to vaccines, helping to protect over 1.1 billion children in lower-income countries from devastating infectious diseases and contributing to a remarkable 70% reduction in vaccine-preventable child deaths in these countries. As one of Gavi’s original donors – and its largest sovereign donor to date – the UK has played a vital role in supporting Gavi in this mission. From 2026–2030, Gavi has the opportunity to protect a further 500 million children and save over 8 million lives.

MPs joined Sir Mo Farah and Björn Gillsäter, Managing Director, Global Donor Relations, Advocacy and Fundraising at Gavi, to learn about the UK’s role supporting Gavi’s progress towards equal access to vaccines. 

Björn Gillsäter, Managing Director, Global Donor Relations, Advocacy and Fundraising at Gavi, said: “Last year, Gavi marked a milestone of immunising over 1 billion children. However, we need to accelerate progress if we are to ensure every child has a fair opportunity on the starting line of life – in 2023, the number of 'zero-dose' children in the 57 Gavi-supported countries rose to 11 million, meaning these children didn’t receive even a single vaccine. The UK is a global leader in immunisation, and we look forward to continued partnership as Gavi plans to vaccinate a further 500 million children between 2026 and 2030. Ensuring that immunisation is integrated into broader health care services, such as nutrition, clean water and sanitation, helps create a better start for these children."

The Starting Line is a campaign by Gavi and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to raise awareness about unequal access to vaccines around the world amid the roll-out of Gavi’s Investment Opportunity 2026–2030. Each year, 1.5 million children still die from diseases that can easily be prevented by vaccines that are both accessible and affordable. The campaign calls on global decision-makers to help protect more children , against more diseases, faster than ever before.

Sir Mo Farah, The Starting Line Ambassador, said: "In sport, we demand fairness, but why not in life? Many countries still lack access to vaccines, including Somaliland, where I was born. Every child deserves to be vaccinated and have a fair spot on the starting line; I am proud of the critical role the UK has played to date through its support of Gavi."

The Starting Line campaign has been running across Europe and has featured a series of international sporting champions, including Sir Mo Farah, Ballon d'Or winning footballer Ada Hegerberg, Olympic gold medallist Malaika Mihambo, World Cup and Euro winning footballer Robert Pirès, Olympic gold medallist and former swimmer Laure Manaudou and breakdancer Junior Bosila Banya. Their “My Starting Line” videos are available on their social media channels and in this toolkit.

For more information and to discover your spot on The Starting Line, please see here: https://the-starting-line.com/.

MEDIA CONTACTS

Meg Sharafudeen, Gavi
+41 79 711 55 54
msharafudeen@gavi.org

Matthew Grek, Gavi
+44 77 38 46 64 53
mgrek@gavi.org

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