Forum on Catalyzing Parliamentary Leadership for Immunization Financing

Istanbul, Türkiye; April 15-16, 2025

The Forum

From April 15-16, 2025, GHAI, with support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, organized a historic forum in Istanbul with 21 Members of Parliament (MP) from 10 countries: Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Laos, Liberia, Madagascar, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Zambia united to champion sustainable immunization financing.

The primary focus of the forum was to foster collaboration, share strategies, develop joint action plans and establish a parliamentary network, all aimed at increasing political will and domestic resources for sustainable immunization financing in their respective countries, and to advocate for Gavi’s 2026-2030 replenishment.

Results

The landmark alliance culminated in the historic Istanbul Parliamentary Call to Action — a bold declaration outlining commitments to mobilize domestic resources, meet country co-financing obligations for Gavi supported vaccines and establish sustainable financing mechanisms.

Most significantly, participants established the Africa-Asia Parliamentary Network dedicated to amplifying advocacy for increased domestic health budgets across continents. The impact was immediate, with country delegations developing specific action plans before leaving Istanbul - from Madagascar's plans for a parliamentary caucus to Laos' pledge to create multi-stakeholder coalitions.