The UK must renew funding for children's vaccines – or else millions of young lives will be at risk

Last week, the Palace of Westminster and Tower Bridge lit up with a message no one could ignore: Prime minister – renew funding for global childhood immunisations now.

Projected across two of London’s most iconic landmarks, the images called on Sir Keir Starmer and the UK government to renew the country’s world-leading support for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance – a lifeline for millions of children globally.

At a time when preventable diseases are once again spreading in places where they were previously rare, and aid budgets are being slashed, millions of children are being left behind. Entire communities are at risk. And the UK – once a proud leader in global health – risks stepping back just when its leadership is needed most.

Read more:

• More and more poor children are missing school since Covid. Here’s how to get them back in class
• I’m a clinical psychologist. I know just how badly racism is damaging children’s mental health
• One in five parents of disabled children wait more than a year to be seen by social services

Later this month, on 25 June, world leaders will gather in Brussels for a major global summit to renew funding for Gavi. This represents a pivotal moment that could shape the future of childhood immunisation and determine whether 500 million children have access to life-saving vaccines by 2030 – a critical goal, especially as disease and pandemics know no borders.

If you haven’t heard of Gavi, you’re not alone – but its impact is hard to overstate. Over the past 25 years, it has helped immunise more than 1.1 billion children and saved nearly 19 million lives. It has played a vital role in containing deadly outbreaks, integrating nutrition services and improving pandemic preparedness, protecting not only the world’s most vulnerable children but also public health here in the UK.

Still, in 2023, 14.5 million children received no vaccines at all. These “zero-dose” children are most at risk from diseases like measles, polio and diphtheria. In hunger hotspots, undernourished children are several times more likely to die from vaccine-preventable illnesses. Gavi’s integrated approach – combining immunisation and nutrition – is about more than health. It’s about survival, security, and equity.

A renewed UK pledge at Gavi’s June summit would not only continue Britain’s legacy of global health leadership – it would signal a commitment to leading with compassion, pragmatism and strategic foresight. For every £1 invested, Gavi delivers an estimated £43 in economic benefits – proof that saving lives and strengthening economies aren’t trade-offs, but deeply connected.

And this moment calls for visible leadership. Prime minister Starmer’s presence at the summit, alongside European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, European Council president António Costa, and others, would send a powerful message that the UK remains serious about its role in global problem-solving – and committed to cooperating with others to deliver results that improve lives both at home and abroad.

The UK has the science, the history and the global influence. This is the country that helped develop globally impactful vaccines, including those for COVID-19, polio and malaria. Now it’s time for that same sense of urgency to be used for children who’ve never received one routine jab.

The British public agrees. According to recent research, 76% of Brits believe protecting vulnerable children from deadly diseases improves lives worldwide. Nearly 70% say it’s good for the UK too, and 67% support increasing vaccine access in low-income countries.

More than 200,000 people have already joined Global Citizen’s campaign calling on the UK government to step up. The message from the public is clear: this is a chance to do what’s right and what’s smart for children, for global health, and for the future of our world.

As campaigners take their message to parliament, and as world leaders prepare to gather in Brussels this month, the choice is crystal clear: will the UK continue to lead, or step back in a moment of global crisis?

With Gavi’s, the Vaccine Alliance’s replenishment event fast approaching, the UK government must stand shoulder to shoulder with its international partners again. A strong pledge will help close deadly immunisation gaps, protect half a billion children, and reinforce the UK’s role in making the world – and itself – safer.

Michael Sheldrick is co-founder and chief policy, impact and global affairs officer at Global Citizen.

Promises are easy to break. Sign Big Issue’s petition for a Poverty Zero law and help us make tackling poverty a legal requirement, not just a policy priority.

Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this? Get in touch and tell us more. Big Issue exists to give homeless and marginalised people the opportunity to earn an income. To support our work buy a copy of the magazine or get the app from the App Store or Google Play.