India’s Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare has recently been nominated by the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI) to serve as a member on the GAVI board. This comes after he was elected as the Chair of the World Health Organization’s Executive Board in May 2020.
Representation on the GAVI Board
The minister will be representing the South East Area Regional Office (SEARO)/Western Pacific Regional Office (WPRO) on the GAVI Board. The position is currently held by Myanmar, with India set to take up the post starting from 1st January 2021 until 31st December 2023.
About the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation
Established in the year 2000, GAVI is an international organization that works as a global vaccine alliance. It plays a crucial role in bringing together various public and private sectors, partnering with the common aim of creating equal access to new and underused vaccines for children residing in the world’s least developed nations.
The core partners of GAVI include the World Health Organisation (WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Bank, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
GAVI’s Mission and Impact
GAVI operates with an ambitious mission to save lives, reduce poverty, and safeguard the world against the threat of epidemics. Since its inception, GAVI has made significant progress in achieving its goals. It has successfully helped vaccinate over 822 million children in the world’s poorest countries, which has prevented more than 14 million potential future deaths.
The Role of the GAVI Board
The GAVI Board holds the key responsibility of strategic direction and policy-making. It oversees the operations of the Vaccine Alliance and closely monitors programme implementation.
The board is composed of members from a range of partner organizations, as well as experts from the private sector. By providing a platform for balanced strategic decision-making, the board encourages innovation and collaboration among partners.
The GAVI Board meet twice a year, typically in June and November or December. In addition, an annual retreat is held generally in March or April.
With the recent nomination of India’s Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare to the GAVI Board, it indicates a positive step towards reinforcing shared global health objectives and enhancing collaboration for advancing healthcare standards across the world.