DECISION ON UNIVERSAL ACCESS TO IMMUNIZATION AS A
CORNERSTONE FOR HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA
Doc. EX.CL/1002(XXX)Add.1
The Executive Council recommends to the Assembly to:
1. TAKE NOTE of the proposal by the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia on “Universal Access to Immunization as a Cornerstone for Health and Development in Africa”;
2. RECOGNIZE that as the continent that has the youngest population of any region globally, developing the right policies and investments in health for youth including investments in immunization, will position Africa to move into new opportunities that emerge from a demographic dividend;
3. RECALL that Article 14 of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child stipulates that every child shall have the right to enjoy the best attainable state of physical, mental and spiritual health;
4. ACKNOWLEDGE that harnessing the demographic dividend through broadbased inclusive economic growth in Africa is dependent on a healthy population; and that strong immunization programmes are a cornerstone of robust health systems that help to achieve universal health coverage which is critical for Africa to achieve the economic and development goals set by Agenda 2063;
5. RECOGNIZE that the economic imperative and benefits of reducing vaccine- preventable diseases and consequential deaths will improve overall health, empower our future generation and allow every person to achieve his or her full potential;
6. REAFFIRM commitment to implement the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Plan in Africa (PMPA) that will promote and invest in regional capacity for the development and production of vaccines;
7. ENDORSE the Ministerial Declaration on Universal Access to Immunization as a Cornerstone for Health and Development in Africa;
8. CALL UPON Member States to support the implementation of the Declaration to ensure and facilitate universal access to immunization by allocating adequate domestic resources and securing new investments to strengthen national immunization programmes as well as mount strong advocacy campaigns to achieve the Global Vaccine Action Plan goals and overall health care delivery systems;
9. FURTHER CALL UPON Member States in partnership with all relevant stakeholders, to negotiate with vaccine manufacturers to ensure and facilitate access to vaccines at affordable prices while increasing price transparency;
10. FURTHER REQUEST the Commission, Member States, WHO and partners to facilitate the implementation of the Declaration and put in place a mechanism for follow up and regular reporting to the Summit to include a corresponding accountability framework.