The Final Version of the Global Vaccine Action Plan Has Been Published

While last century will be remembered for the enormous advances made in treatment and antibiotics, the international community hopes that the 21st century will be remembered as the century of vaccines and immunisation. The Decade of Vaccines (DoV), an initiative led by the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the GAVI Alliance, the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, builds on the vision of a world where individuals and communities will be able to enjoy a life free from preventable disease, no matter where they are born, who they are or where they live. It is hoped that this vision will be a reality by 2020.

The final version of the Global Vaccine Action Plan 2011-2020 (GVAP), which is a roadmap designed to prevent millions of deaths around the world through more equitable access to vaccines, has just been published. The development of the plan was coordinated by the DoV Secretariat, formed by members of ISGlobal, PATH, and the Sabin Vaccine Institute, whose work finished in December 2012. More than 1100 people from 290 organisations in 140 countries have contributed to the development of the GVAP.

Endorsed by 194 countries at the World Health Assembly in May 2012, the GVAP reiterates existing goals, sets new ones, outlines six strategic objectives and associated actions, and provides an initial estimate of resource requirements and the expected return on investment.

As stated by the developers of the GVAP, "the success of this ambitious global plan will be one of the most enduring legacies for today's children and the generations who follow them."