ONE welcomes European Commission President José Manuel Barroso and Development Commissioner Andris Piebalgs’s renewed support for critical global health initiatives announced today at the Global Vaccine Summit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. In a speech, President Barroso reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to the GAVI vaccines alliance as well as treatments for HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria through the Global Fund.

Eloise Todd, Brussels Director of ONE said:

“We warmly welcome the President and Commissioner’s renewed support for the GAVI vaccines programme and the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria. As the EU finalises the details of its long term budget for 2014-2020, it must put its money where its mouth is.  President Barroso and Commissioner Piebalgs should commit to spending at least EUR 50m every year on GAVI to make sure children in the world’s poorest countries get the start in life they need.  The Commission must also support the next long-term Global Fund programme at least at today’s level.  EU leadership can make this happen, and will also encourage other donors to increase their ambition.”

Notes to editors:

• Full text of Barroso speech: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-13-367_en.htm
• Since 2000, GAVI (http://www.gavialliance.org/) has supported the immunisation of more than 370 million children.
• GAVI funded vaccines could help avert 23 million deaths in 73 countries from 2011-20, and over half of the expected deaths averted would be in Africa.
• Today, April 25^th is World Malaria Day, http://www.worldmalariaday.org
• After increases in funding from 2004-2009, global funding for malaria prevention and control levelled off between 2010 and 2012, and could threaten to reverse the remarkable recent gains in the fight against one of the world’s leading infectious killers. [WHO World Malaria Report 2012 PR]
• Since 2002, the Global Fund has distributed 310 million insecticide-treated nets for the prevention of malaria. [Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria]

ONE is a global advocacy and campaigning organisation backed by more than 3 million people from around the world dedicated to fighting extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa. For more information please visit www.ONE.org

For further information or to arrange an interview with Eloise Todd please contact Dudley Curtis on +32 485 379945 or [email protected]