Who funds vaccines for developing countries?

Each year UNICEF receives funding via over 400 funding mechanisms to support vaccine procurement. Sometimes some vaccines are funded by only one or two major donors. For example, from 2001 to 2003, OPV was largely funded by the Center for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Government of Japan, and in 2004 the World Bank’s ‘buy-down’ mechanism became the majority funding source. From 2001 to 2004, the Hepatitis B and Hib vaccines were almost exclusively funded by GAVI/VF.

However, the majority of vaccines are financed by many agencies, including governments themselves. UNICEF Country Offices work at the local level with governments and bilateral agencies to ensure there is sufficient funding available for routine needs. This effort is complemented by global programmes and fundraising efforts to ensure that the countries’ overall financial requirements for vaccines, devices, cold chain and operational activities are covered.