By Georgina Kenyon

LONDON — In a move that surpassed expectations given the tough economic times, donors committed $4.3 billion to the GAVI Alliance at a 13 June pledging conference—exceeding the target of $3.7 billion. The funds secure the next five-year chapter of the Geneva-based public-private partnership aimed at stamping out preventable illness in the world’s poorest countries—in particular, two of the biggest child killers, pneumonia and diarrhea.

“Now poor kids will get the vaccines that rich kids get,” Bill Gates, whose Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is slated to give GAVI more than $1 billion, said at the meeting here.

Some of the largest government pledges came from the UK ($1.3 billion), Norway ($819 million) and France ($511 million). Notably, the current framework is such that approximately 85% of GAVI support is in-kind donations of materials such as vaccines.

Looking ahead, the organization is pushing to shape vaccine markets and drive down prices by involving more developing-world–based pharmaceutical companies in vaccine research and manufacturing. But there are some voices that are doubtful of GAVI pushing enough to reduce the costs of vaccines.

(Click here to continue reading.)