Gavi and the Global Fund

Bambos Charalambous Excerpts

Thursday 15th May 2025 Westminster Hall

[Emily Darlington]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. It is through such programmes that we developed the expertise and the ability to rapidly create mRNA-based vaccines, which led to the creation of our own vaccines here in the UK and allowed us not only to protect our own population but to contribute to protecting biosecurity globally, by ensuring the fast spread of those vaccines.

Similarly, 18 million doses of the RTS,S malaria vaccine created here in the UK have been allocated to 12 African countries. We have administered the vaccine to over 1.7 million children in pilot countries and consequently we have been able to reduce malaria cases. We know that malaria is moving north as climate change hits, so this is not just about protecting children in those countries; it is also about protecting children here at home.

I want to share some of the quotes that were sent to me when scientists at AstraZeneca and elsewhere heard that I had secured this debate. They wanted to send a clear message. Sandy Douglas at the University of Oxford, one of the six scientists who created the covid-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca, said:

“Gavi brings Britain’s scientific leadership to the world, and this brings investment back into the UK’s world-leading research, generating a virtuous cycle of innovation.”

GSK also reached out because it wanted its voice to be heard in the debate. It said:

“UK life sciences are a critical economic driver to improve health outcomes and transform lives in the UK and around the world, including in the Global South. Scientific innovation underpins national and global health security and economic prosperity at a time of growing uncertainty. GSK and its HIV business…are proud of the contribution we make to deliver these priorities.”

Most importantly, it said:

“The UK’s 2025 investment in Gavi and the Global Fund will be critical in building long-term sustainable access to health technologies at scale.”

This is not just about what we are doing in the global south and in other countries that need our partnership; it is also about what we are doing to build economic growth, which is the single most important mission of this Government.

The reality is that this mission is not over. I could go through many of the numbers, but I know that my hon. Friends will pick up some of them. What I will say is that across the US, the UK, Germany, France and the Netherlands, which provide 90% of the HIV funding response, there could be cuts of between 8%—if we do our job well—and 70%. Modelling by the Burnet Institute estimates that such cuts would result in between 4.4 million and 10.8 million additional HIV cases, and between 770,000 and 2.9 million HIV-related deaths in children and adults, by 2030.

[Bambos Charalambous (Southgate and Wood Green) (Lab)]

My hon. Friend is making an excellent speech and I congratulate her on securing the debate. Gavi has been one of the most successful development initiatives ever; more than 1 billion children are being routinely immunised against some of the world’s deadliest diseases. Despite its success, however, each year more than 1.5 million children continue to die from vaccine-preventable diseases. Does she agree that the UK needs to show leadership in ensuring that immunisation remains a funding priority for the UK, and that the Government, as a board member and a strong donor, should continue to fund Gavi and prioritise life-saving vaccinations?

[Emily Darlington]

I absolutely agree. That reminds me of something my gran always said to me: “If you don’t have your health, what do you have?” I know this issue sounds quite niche, but health is something we all understand. If we do not have our health, we cannot talk about improving the economies of countries around the world and improving global security. That is why this is such a crucial initiative.

These diseases cross borders. Milton Keynes’s HIV rate is among the highest in the UK, so this is also about protecting our constituents. If we can reach the levels that we need to reach on HIV transmission, we will be protecting the UK population too.

I am really encouraged by the UK’s commitment to co-host the Global Fund’s eighth replenishment, alongside the Government of South Africa, and by the Prime Minister’s statement that, although we are cutting official development assistance, we will continue to support global health. These partnerships are the best and most efficient way of getting money to the ground. They bring an estimated £530 million of investment into research and development in the UK, and they balance investment by ensuring that the countries that can contribute to the programmes do so. This is not charity, but true partnership. It is about us working together to build capacity.

These programmes have public support. Various polls show that about three quarters of the British public support using our R&D and our expertise in life sciences to save lives here and abroad.

I will conclude, because a lot of other Members want to speak. This year is pivotal. Gavi, the Global Fund, Unitaid and others are requesting partnership money, but it is about not just cash but the partnership and leadership that the UK Government provide. I say to the Government and the Minister, who cares a lot about this issue, that, despite the short-term cuts—the Prime Minister said that it is one of the most difficult decisions he has had to make, and that we will look to increase funding in the future—we must not use the fact that the replenishment comes at a time when our budget is at its lowest not at least to match what we have pledged in the past.