Launch of the Eastern Mediterranean regional framework to strengthen immunization
15 October 2024, Doha, Qatar – Vaccines save over 4 million lives each year. Recognizing their critical role, in August 2020 the 73rd World Health Assembly adopted the Immunization Agenda 2030 (IA2030). This global initiative aims to enhance immunization efforts within primary health care systems.
Access to essential vaccines remains a pressing issue: 1 in 4 children in the Region lacks access to pneumococcal and rotavirus vaccines, with the majority residing in middle-income countries. Alarmingly, 90% of adolescent girls in the region do not have access to the HPV vaccine, 63% of whom live in Gavi-eligible countries.
We must also expand immunization coverage throughout the life course. New vaccines targeting high-risk groups, such as health care workers and the elderly, are vital. Yet establishing vaccine delivery platforms beyond infancy – in settings such as schools and workplaces – remains a significant challenge for national immunization programmes.
To adapt IA2030 to the needs of the Eastern Mediterranean Region, the Regional Office has developed a strategic framework for implementation. The result of extensive consultations with national immunization programmes, the Regional Immunization Technical Advisory Group and key partners and stakeholders, the framework reflects the priorities of Member States. It includes a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation system that will track collective progress towards the ambitious goals set forth in IA2030.
During a side event of the 71st session of the WHO Regional Committee for the