IMMUNIZATION - an investment in life The International Finance Facility for Immunization (IFFIm) What is it? The International Finance Facility for Immunization (IFFIm) is a new financing programme that will use pledges of future aid to leverage money from international capital markets for immediate use in national immunization programmes. IFFIm financing will significantly accelerate the availability of new funding for immunization. The resources raised will be invested in those health interventions 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 10 years, to prevent an estimated 5 million child deaths between 2006-2015 and more than 5 million future 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 industrialized countries, established and emerging vaccine manufacturers, nongovernmental organizations, research institutes, UNICEF, the World Health Organization, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 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 Northern Ireland. How will it work? The GAVI Alliance and The GAVI Fund (former Vaccine Fund) will use their existing governance structures to make allocation policies and country disbursement decisions for funds leveraged through the IFFIm financing programme. Countries with a Gross National Income of less than US$ 1000 per capita will be eligible for support, provided they are not in arrears with payments to the International Monetary Fund. GAVI Alliance partners have developed a process through which countries apply for the resources they need, based on allocation policies approved by the GAVI Alliance Board. An Independent Review Committee (IRC) of national experts in immunization programmes, health economics, and health systems, reviews proposals and progress reports submitted by countries. The IRC then makes its recommendations to the GAVI Alliance Board, which requests release of funds from The GAVI Fund. What will the funds be used for? 1. Supporting new vaccines In the short term, IFFIm funds will be used to stimulate increased manufacturing capacity for the combination DTP 1 -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 at prices, to satisfy demand. A number of other vaccines are under consideration for funding in the longer term. 2. Strengthening immunization services Scaling up immunization coverage in the poorest countries will require substantial investments in health systems. Constraints that affect immunization delivery often affect other essential health interventions 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.