Seth Berkley and Dr. Christian Loucq meet in Seoul, South Korea
Seth Berkley and Dr. Christian Loucq met to discuss ways to expand collaboration between GAVI and IVI
Seoul, 29 November 2011 - The leaders of the GAVI Alliance and the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) have agreed to expand collaboration between the two
largest global health organisations dedicated to delivering vaccines to the world's poorest
countries.
Meeting before this week's Fourth High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Busan, GAVI CEO
Seth Berkley MD and IVI Director General, Dr. Christian Loucq, discussed ways to strengthen
their organisation's joint efforts to prevent and control infectious diseases in developing
countries through vaccines.
Close cooperation
"A close cooperation with an organisation such as GAVI is of great meaning to us because
it will allow us to make an even greater impact," said Dr. Loucq.
"I am happy to have this opportunity to search for more ways to cooperate with various
partners such as IVI, the Korean government, and others in an attempt to help people
protect their health through vaccination and to save more lives," said Dr. Berkley.
A close cooperation with an organisation such as GAVI is of great meaning to us because it will allow us to make an even greater impact. Dr. Christian Loucq, IVI Director General |
Vaccinology
IVI is an independent international organisation established at the initiative of the
United Nations Development Programme, which conducts research to develop and introduce new
vaccines in order to protect people, especially children, in developing countries from
infectious diseases.
"Since its establishment in 1997, IVI has grown to be a leading organisation in
vaccinology across various areas such as R&D, epidemiology, technology transfer and
training, and policy, which has enabled us to create new vaccines for the poor and
accelerate their introduction into developing countries," said Dr. Loucq.
Decade of Vaccines
The GAVI-IVI partnership will have an important role in the Decade of Vaccines
initiative, led by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to scale up research,
development and delivery of vaccines for developing countries through increased commitments
by governments and greater public-private partnerships.
"Such partnerships deserve more attention since they are not only effective but also a
sustainable development approach," said Dr. Berkley.
