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life The International Finance Facility for Immunization (IFFIm)

What is it?

The International Finance Facility for Immunization (IFFIm) is a new financing programme thatwill use pledges of future aid to leverage money from international capital markets for immediateuse in national immunization programmes. IFFIm financing will significantly accelerate theavailability of new funding for immunization. The resources raised will be invested in those healthinterventions most likely to quickly and dramatically reduce morbidity and mortality.

It is anticipated that the IFFIm will provide up to US$ 4 billion for immunization over a period of 10years, to prevent an estimated 5 million child deaths between 2006-2015 and more than 5 millionfuture adult deaths. The new funds will support the work of the GAVI Alliance, a leading public-private health partnership that brings together governments in developing and industrializedcountries, established and emerging vaccine manufacturers, nongovernmental organizations,research institutes, UNICEF, the World Health Organization, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundationand the World Bank.

Countries which have committed funds to this financing programme are Brazil, France, Italy,Norway, South Africa, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and NorthernIreland.

How will it work?

The GAVI Alliance and The GAVI Fund (former Vaccine Fund) will use their existing governancestructures to make allocation policies and country disbursement decisions for funds leveragedthrough the IFFIm financing programme. Countries with a Gross National Income of less thanUS$ 1000 per capita will be eligible for support, provided they are not in arrears with payments tothe International Monetary Fund.

GAVI Alliance partners have developed a process through which countries apply for the resourcesthey need, based on allocation policies approved by the GAVI Alliance Board. An IndependentReview Committee (IRC) of national experts in immunization programmes, health economics,and health systems, reviews proposals and progress reports submitted by countries. The IRCthen makes its recommendations to the GAVI Alliance Board, which requests release of fundsfrom The GAVI Fund.

What will the funds be used for?

1. Supporting new vaccinesIn the short term, IFFIm funds will be used to stimulate increased manufacturing capacity for thecombination DTP1-hepatitis B and DTP-hepatitis B-Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccines —vaccines that GAVI currently supports but which are not produced in sufficient quantities, or atprices, to satisfy demand. A number of other vaccines are under consideration for funding in thelonger term.

2. Strengthening immunization servicesScaling up immunization coverage in the poorest countries will require substantial investmentsin health systems. Constraints that affect immunization delivery often affect other essential healthinterventions as well. Flexible IFFIm resources will enable countries to alleviate these system-wide barriers and will potentially lead to a more comprehensive provision of health services.Funding will be based on need and absorptive capacity.

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Department of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals, World Health Organization, Genevae-mail: vaccines@who.int

3. Measles vaccine and tetanus toxoid campaignsThese will be funded in the countries where the need is greatest. Such mass campaigns will be designedand implemented with the additional goal of strengthening routine health and immunization services.

4. Polio vaccine stockpileOnce the world is declared polio-free, a stockpile of oral polio vaccine (OPV) will be required toprotect against any future circulation of the virus. This vaccine must be produced very quickly inthe narrow window of opportunity between the interruption of polio transmission and OPVcessation. The stockpile will serve as an “insurance policy” in the event of a polio outbreak afterthe eradication of the wild poliovirus.

1 Diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis