Civil society organisations - GAVI's partnership model - About the Alliance

Civil society plays a critical role in shaping public policy, delivering vaccines to hard-to-reach communities and advocating for immunisation in industrialised and developing countries

Photo courtesy of Aga Khan Health Services, Pakistan

Civil society organisations (CSOs), including non-government and community-based organisations, faith-based groups, academic institutions and women's initiatives, are critical GAVI partners across a wide spectrum of activities.

Delivering vaccines and reaching the hard to reach

CSO's are key players in implementing vaccination programmes, delivering up to 65% of immunisation services in many developing countries as well as participating in health system strengthening, training health workers and supporting logistics and vaccine delivery.

CSOs are often the most effective medium for delivering vaccines and services to the hard-to-reach. Remote communities, minority and marginalised groups represent the last 15-20% of the population that all too often elude immunisation campaigns.

Advocacy and public policy

CSOs are also vital advocates for immunisation and health and development in both industrialised and developing countries.

Role on the GAVI Alliance Board

CSOs have one seat on the Alliance Board and participate in committees and task teams that guide its work. The Board seat, now filled by Alan Hinman, Senior Public Health Scientist of The Task Force for Global Health, rotates to a new CSO every two years.

At the GAVI Alliance’s Fourth Partners’ Forum in Hanoi, Vietnam in November 2009, CSOs issued a Call to Action designed to strengthen the voice of the civil society constituency within the Alliance. In March 2010, a meeting of civil society representatives established the existing CSO constituency structure, including a 15-20 person steering committee and a civil society forum.

The steering committee met for the first time in person in Geneva in October 2010, formalising the structure of civil society engagement with the Alliance.

At global and national levels, CSOs advocate effectively for immunisation, shaping government decisions and public opinion.

They help raise the profile of immunisation and health in development policy and support the mobilisation of resources for vaccination, while holding governments, industry and international organisations accountable for following their commitments.

GAVI support for CSOs

GAVI provides support to CSOs through two channels:

Type A funding, available to all GAVI-eligible countries, is aimed at strengthening the role and representation of CSOs in country-level coordination. In 2008, the first full year of such support, this type of support went to Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Indonesia and Pakistan.
Type B funding will disburse US$ 22 million to support pilot projects by CSOs complementing the work of governments by direct involvement in implementing health system strengthening and immunisation. Recipients of Type B funding include Afghanistan, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Indonesia and Pakistan.