Overview

• Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced at the Brussels pledging summit that the United States will withhold further funding for Gavi until the alliance addresses what he described as gaps in vaccine safety and its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Gavi defended its record, saying its vaccine portfolio decisions align with WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization and that it remains confident in the safety of its programs.
• Public health experts warned that the withdrawal of U.S. support could lead to hundreds of thousands of preventable deaths and undermine decades of global immunization progress.
• Despite the U.S. decision, Gavi secured more than $9 billion in pledges at the summit to fund immunization of 500 million children from 2026 through 2030.
• Canada reaffirmed its commitment with a $675 million pledge for the next five years, joining other donors in backing efforts that have vaccinated over 1 billion children and saved an estimated 18 million lives.