A new report, Gavi’s Humanitarian Partnerships: achievements and learning, 2022–2024, shows how Gavi and humanitarian partners are bridging immunization gaps to reach children and infants living in crisis-affected settings across 11 countries in Africa, paving the way for solutions that address the needs of some of the most vulnerable populations – while improving health security around the world.
According to the report, integrating humanitarian and immunization services through Gavi’s Humanitarian Partnerships (ZIP) has enabled the delivery of life-saving vaccines to children in hard-to-reach and conflict-afflicted communities, without compromising quality. By addressing and overcoming various equity barriers that have long hindered global vaccination progress, Gavi and partners have helped protect hundreds of thousands from life-threatening and highly contagious diseases like measles.
With new access to vaccinated children in these communities, the partnership has also pioneered new ways of working for the Vaccine Alliance, partnering with nongovernmental humanitarian organizations for the first time. ZIP has additionally delivered routine childhood vaccines to children aged up to five years who previously missed out – an unprecedented achievement in humanitarian contexts.
Conflict and crisis should never stop a child from getting vaccinated. Over 800,000 children in war-torn areas have been reached through our ZIP #humanitarian partnerships. Here’s how we’re making it happen: https://t.co/pJdbfEyxr3 pic.twitter.com/XeBOrxPBVl
— Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (@gavi) January 21, 2025
“Gavi is unwavering in its commitment to ensuring every child, no matter their circumstances, has access to life-saving vaccines,” said Thabani Maphosa, Chief Country Delivery Officer at Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. “Our partnership with humanitarian actors is a testament to this commitment, enabling us to reach communities affected by instability, insecurity, conflict and crisis. With the continued support of our donors and partners, we can redefine what is possible in humanitarian immunisation, ensuring full vaccine coverage even in the hardest-to-reach places.”
With protracted crises unfolding across the world, access to vaccines remains critical to avoid immunity gaps that leave communities vulnerable to preventable outbreaks and pose risks to global health security. Launched as a pilot in 2022, Gavi’s Humanitarian Partnerships (ZIP) were designed to address inequities in vaccine access, prioritizing communities that were previously left behind. Working in partnership with the IRC, World Vision, and consortia of local civil society organizations, the initiative has proven that effective immunization programs can succeed in even the most complex humanitarian contexts, including semi-autonomous or separatist areas, non-state armed group locations, refugee camps and among marginalized populations.
With millions of children missing out on routine vaccines every year, ZIP has addressed the urgent challenge of reaching ‘zero-dose’ children – those who have never received a single vaccine – and under-immunized children. Equally vital in the effort to sustainably protect communities is the task of rebuilding routine immunization systems in these crisis-affected areas. ZIP is working to strike this balance, ensuring that both immediate needs and long-term health system resilience are addressed, while maintaining a coordinated approach with ministries of health in a manner that preserves ZIP’s independence and neutrality.
As Gavi looks to 2025 and beyond, the insights drawn from ZIP will shape new commitments to expand immunization services to reach even more children. By leveraging the learnings from the last two years, Gavi aims to set a new standard for delivering comprehensive vaccination coverage in the most challenging environments – a critical step toward achieving vaccine equity and health security worldwide.
