Ireland pledges €21.6m to Gavi as EU reaffirms global vaccine leadership

Ireland has pledged €21.6 million to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, marking a 20% increase in its contribution for the 2026–2030 period, as global leaders convened in Brussels for the Gavi 6.0 High-Level Pledging Summit.

The summit, co-hosted by the European Union and the Gates Foundation, aimed to raise at least €10 billion to fund Gavi’s ambitious strategy to immunise 500 million children and avert over 8 million deaths globally.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin, addressing the summit, underscored Ireland’s enduring commitment to global health equity. He said his announcement of "a further €21.6 million, a 20% increase in our funding for Gavi, demonstrates Ireland’s commitment to the transformative use of vaccines.”

The Irish premier noted that “Vaccines have utterly transformed health outcomes across the world. Evidence from the World Health Organisation shows that vaccination is one of the best health investments that money can buy and one of the most impactful tools that we have available to us.”

Tánaiste Simon Harris echoed this sentiment, highlighting Ireland’s development priorities: “The work of Irish Aid is guided by the principle of reaching the furthest behind first. At a time of so many global challenges, Ireland is proud to increase its support to the vital work of Gavi.”

EU’s global immunisation role

The European Union, a long-standing partner of Gavi since 2003, reaffirmed its leadership in global health by co-hosting the summit and pledging €260 million for 2026–2027. The EU and its Member States, through the “Team Europe” approach, have collectively contributed over €6.5 billion during Gavi’s previous strategic period (2021–2025).

The EU’s vaccine diplomacy extends beyond financial support. It includes backing for regional vaccine manufacturing, emergency stockpiles, and the COVAX initiative, which has delivered over 2 billion doses globally. “Ensuring equitable access to vaccines is a global priority, and the European Union plays a leading role in this effort,” the Commission stated.

Global vaccine programmes are not merely a health imperative - they are a cornerstone of economic resilience and geopolitical stability.

According to Gavi, every dollar invested in immunisation yields an estimated $21 in economic returns through averted healthcare costs and productivity gains.

The 2026–2030 strategy is projected to unlock €85.3 billion in economic benefits for participating countries.

Yet, the stakes remain high. The World Health Organization warns that 25 million children missed routine vaccinations in 2021 alone, the highest number in nearly two decades. This immunisation gap threatens to reverse decades of progress against diseases like measles, polio, and diphtheria.

Calls for multilateralism

The summit’s outcomes reflect a broader call for multilateral cooperation in the face of rising geopolitical fragmentation.

In his remarks, the Taoiseach emphasised: “Ireland’s foreign policy and our development cooperation is fundamentally guided by the principle of reaching the furthest behind first. Vulnerable children, who have not received any routine vaccinations, are front and centre of this focus.”

Donors committed over €7.7 billion towards the alliance’s €10.2 billion target for the 2026 - 2030 strategic period. ‘Team Europe’ - comprising the European Union and its Member States - emerged as the largest collective donor, pledging more than €2 billion. Within this, the European Commission committed €360 million, reinforcing the EU’s leadership in global health financing.

Direct donor pledges

In addition to direct donor pledges, the summit secured a series of complementary commitments, including €3.8 billion in development finance from international financial institutions, aimed at strengthening health systems and vaccine delivery infrastructure.

Up to €170.6 million was also secured in projected cost savings for Gavi-supported programmes, announced by vaccine manufacturers through pricing and procurement efficiencies, and over €127 million in private sector partnerships was realised, focused on enhancing immunisation delivery and innovation in last-mile healthcare access.

These commitments underscore a broad-based coalition of public, private, and multilateral actors rallying behind Gavi’s mission to immunise 500 million children and avert more than 8 million deaths by 2030.

However, gaps remain. Some donors were unable to pledge due to domestic budgetary cycles, prompting Gavi to continue its engagement to close the funding shortfall.

By Brian Maguire