Born to Die vaccines campaign/ GAVI Conference

[SnailWhaleTail]

So, further to Mumsnet HQs thread above about attending the GAVI conference on funding childhood vaccines in the developing world I'm really looking forward to Monday 13th when I'll be at the conference to see what transpires and which countries pledge what.

More info from Save the Children

And from ONEs website too

This info is really worth looking at and I'll post more as I get it.

Any comments on the campaign or points of discussion would be really interesting to hear.

[Pram1nTheHall]

Thanks idealism, fair enough!

[idealism]

I 'm making an point about immunisation being the be-all, magic answer, which is certainly the way it has been reported on some news channels/ radio today.
yes, I am anti-immunisation, which is a hugely personal, and controversial decision I have taken. I hope people will respect my choice as I do theirs....

I'd hate mums in developing countries to not be given a choice, and whilst the choice for them is a much starker one, they still deserve the freedom to make an informed choice. It's a big dilemma that aid faces, a brave person who tackles it head on with politicians. it is easy for us to sit in our comfortable lives debating it, but I feel strongly that parents should learn about the negative long-term consequences of vaccination, what a vaccine contains (highly toxic adjuvants that a vulnerable child may not be able to physically deal with) and an increasing dependancy on western society which is reminiscent of colonialism.

[SnailWhaleTail]

Pram: it was a fabulous day all round, seeing close up what ONE (the lobbying group) actually DO was great and I really found that people were willing to answer any questions I had or find someone who could answer my questions.

Watching DC's speech in the Social Media Room whilst composing a post on mumsnet on an ipod with one hand and tweeting with the other I really felt part of the whole 'can do' attitude. I felt really pleased on behalf of all the lobbyists that they were so chuffed that their hard work had achieved its aim.

Going into the press conference and hearing the Q and A firsthand.

Hearing Ellen J-S speak (and seeing her fabulous clothes).

Hearing Bill Gates speak very modestly about his achievements.

The people could not have been kinder or more helpful and it was a really positive experience to be able to get a sense of all the work that goes on in the background of these events. Thanks Mumsnet and ONE!

[Pram1nTheHall]

Sounds like a good day SWT. Which bit was the most memorable?

idealism: are you making an anti-immunisation point, or an anti-aid point? Or a bit of both? Don't mean this to sound aggressive, am just wondering.

[SnailWhaleTail]

Idealism: thanks for your comments, firstly I think that 'those in power' don't at all see vaccines as the be all and end all and a lot of the message of this conference was that this is the first step on a long road rather than a magic bullet, hence the questions we've all been asking on sustainability, longevity, the role of the HCP, issues of infection control, matters of logistics etc and as soon as I've gone through my notes on the press conference I'll report back more fully on these points.

Andrew Mitchell did emphasise that the 0.7% figure commited has not changed but what they are trying to do is spend wisely and acknowledge the need for transparency in spending and focusing on measurable results, which is I think what you're saying when you mention strategy. In David Cameron's opening address he made the point that this is a step which will be an opening to allow the countries themselves to be a partnership rather than a passive recipient of 'charity'. The whole conference was about strategic first steps in autonomy for developing countries by giving a measure of equality with the first world.

I'm interested to know which parts of the coverage you watched or which papers/journals you've read to draw the conclusion that GAVI thinks this a magic bullet?

I'll be back tomorrow with a more coherent report of the questions asked and answered at the press conference.

[idealism]

I think the sentiment behind the campaign is full of all the best intention, however I find myself cross that those in power, and indeed those without, see vaccinations as the only solution. yes, vaccines can appear to 'solve' a lot of problems on first impression, but we need to be wary of the hidden problems they incur along the way. This rather large amount of money invested in the guise of western developed countries saving the 3rd world is infact problematic. As a nation we should be thinking more strategically about how to help these young mothers help themselves. Turning up to inject the masses is not, in the long term, the right approach and I would be more impressed if Mumsnet could take this stance - helping families see the bigger picture.

[LindsayWagner]

Wow - you've done a cracking job SWT. Lots to take in, will digest and return..

[SnailWhaleTail]

GAVI press release post-pledges

[SnailWhaleTail]

LindsayWagner: interesting article, that's the sort of thing that I'm hoping to ask the later on.

I've just had a very nice chat with ONE about issues of the longevity of the programme and peripherals such as medical consumables and healthcare professionals. His point is that all of these things are important and are things which will be considered by GAVI in partnership with the 72 countries which are eligible for funding but that the focus of the funding is the vaccine itself over a period of 5 years, with the further periods being funded by subsequent pledges.

Preliminary numbers are the the UK is pledging $1.335 million, followed by the Gates foundation at $1,000million, Norway $677 million, USA with $450 million the next biggest donors are the Netherlands, Australia and France. All in all the aim of the conference was to raise $3.7billion and in fact $4.3 billion was raised.

The press conference was very interesting and questions raised were what we wanted to know on the whole. Predictably the Daily Mail asked why the UK was giving aid to anyone when we are an impoverished nation ourselves!

[SnailWhaleTail]

Will be meeting a GAVI official after the press conference. Any other questions you would like answered?

[SnailWhaleTail]

Damnyou: I'm saying equally jolly-ly 'Hi, lovely to meet you, I'm with Mumsnet'. Usually met with a confused face!

[SnailWhaleTail]

nearly time for pledges to be announced; I will be back with numbers.

[DamnYouAutocorrect]

'hi, I'm SnailWhaleTail from Mumsnet'

[SnailWhaleTail]

Am in the actual press conference courtesy of a nice chap from GAVI! Lots of people around me saying 'Hi, Jane from Channel 4 news' in jolly tones. I have put my glasses on in order to blend in and am joining in and nodding sagely.

[DamnYouAutocorrect]

Ah thanks Porpoise.

I think the press conference announcing pledges is at 1.30. Heard on Today that UK funds one-third of GAVI - is that right?

Where are the aid-haterz? (so we can have a barney/constructive exchange of views while we wait)

[porpoisefull]

Just happened to be reading an article in the current Private Eye about GAVI boosting western companies' profits at the expense of other countries' drugs companies that would provide better value for money, saving more lives. Here's the Oxfam post www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=5742

[DamnYouAutocorrect]

Oh, I like E J-S. Is she still there?

I think this point about GAVI possibly over-paying big pharma companies is an important one. I see Max Lawson from Oxfam has a good blog post on this (can't link, am on phone) [incompetent]

[SnailWhaleTail]

'Donor funding will be critical to speed progress towards the MDG targets on water and sanitation. In 2006, the UN estimated that development assistance flows would have to double to bring the targets within reach. Though the G8 made a commitment both in 2003 and 2005 to increase funding for the water sector, they set few concrete funding targets for donors. As a result, funding since 2004 has only grown at a quarter of the needed rate.'

www.one.org/c/us/issuebrief/99/

This is quite old info but is obviously showing that the funding is lagging behind the need. I have asked the question about whether the clean water campaign will come back to the forefront of lobbying activity after this conference, as really the issues are interlinked. Dirty water = more chance of contracting disease.

[SnailWhaleTail]

Gooseberry: As it's one of the Millennium Development Goal there is a commitment to the Clean Water Campaign, the lovely StuartfromOne is at the very moment asking the question about funding so I'll get back to you asap.

It's all organised chaos here at the moment, tv camera in one corner, photographers flitting about, and stacks of people simultaneously using laptops, BBs and iPads and pods. I'll tweet a pic

[SnailWhaleTail]

Damnyou: she was not wearing shoes, correct. She was only here for a few mins and has now floated off. I will ask for a few words for Mumsnet if she reappears though.

I wanted to say hello to Pres of Liberia Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf as she looks amazing and is working very hard but she is surrounded by 'staff'.

[SnailWhaleTail]

Press Release from ONE, who I'm with today at the GAVI conference.

Monday 13 June 2011
CAMERON’S LEADERSHIP SECURES VICTORY IN FIGHT AGAINST EXTREME POVERTY
Today Prime Minister David Cameron pledged to vaccinate over 80 million kids and save 1.4 million lives through UK support to the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI), and challenged other nations and private corporations to match his leadership to help save a total of over 4m lives.
Jamie Drummond, Executive Director of ONE, said:
“David Cameron deserves immense praise for his pledge which will save a child’s life every two minutes for the next five years. The Prime Minister and the British public have shown great moral leadership in the fight against disease and extreme poverty, as well as smart strategic thinking.
“This is conditional tough love. The money is conditional on continuing good results and matching from other nations and the private sector - ensuring British leadership gets maximum results.
“Today is a huge victory for mothers and children around the world in the fight against extreme poverty. It is extraordinary that the success of this conference can be literally counted in the millions of lives it has saved. That the UK Government can produce such a positive result in these tough times is a testament to the respect commanded by this country on the crucial moral issue of fighting extreme poverty around the world.
“The GAVI alliance is a leading example of smart, innovative aid that works, supporting grassroots leadership across Africa. Vaccines deliver measurable and cost-effective results. They save millions of children whose future potential, creativity and intellect will drive development in their countries and make vulnerable regions of our world more secure.
“Effective International aid has already helped put 46 million children in Africa in school since 1999 and more than 500 million people have been reached with antimalarial bednets in the past 2 years alone. Now millions of mothers in the poorest countries will be able to vaccinate their children against some of the deadliest diseases thanks to the support of millions of mothers from across the British Isles.”

[SnailWhaleTail]

DC on BBC1 now addressing the conference.

Talking about little boy in Nairobi who died of Meningitis aged 1 and asking countries at the summit to pledge money.

He's thanked GSK and the Serum Institute for the vaccines themselves (I'll check out their figures in a min) but DC is quoting $2.50 a vax.

Bit poignant him talking about the loss of a child by a parent, as his loss is also quite new.

He is pledging £814 m up to 2014 which is the equivalent of 1.4m lives, or 1 child every 2 mins. £50m is matched funding to incentivise private companies to donate.

DC is pushing the idea of 'Smart funding' which he sees as a 'golden thread' in developing countries with him seeing further investment in infrastructure in Africa , he's emphatically NOT calling it charity but rather labelling it economic opportunity for developing nations.

DC did make ref to spending cuts in UK - why aid if we cant afford it? how can it work with corruption rife in developing world? He did try to address some of these criticisms: He sees the UK contribution as a 'Moral Obligation' of the UK, honouring the 0.7% commitment. He also feels that aid now promotes UK interest by opening trade corridors and is a pre-emptive spend in order to avoid probs in future.

He has answered the objection on the grounds of corruption in developing countries by pledging to change how countries get aid, by opening direct channels, and embedding programmes with measurable results (schooling/vax) he wants to improve transparency, by giving details of DIFID spending, and his new plan is that NGOs must publish details of their spending where a percentage of that aid has come from the UK.

More later, my fingers are flying between twitter and MN!

[Gooseberrybushes]

Can you ask however much money they're going to commit to this, how much they are committing to a clean water campaign.

[LindsayWagner]

Congratulate JK on her associate editorship of the Indie and ask her for a five-min interview! Go on!

[LindsayWagner]

You totally should! Good luck with everything today SWT - and if you get a chance, have a look at this really interesting article about transferring at least some vaccine-production to African countries. Apart from the obvious development benefits, it says that "suppliers from emerging countries have said they could sell similar pneumococcal vaccine products at US$2 per dose ? more than 40 per cent less than GAVI pays."

It would be brilliant if these sustainable development targets were built in to whatever emerges from this morning.