Roadmap for Implementing the Addis Declaration on Immunization: Advocacy, Action, and Accountability
Immunization saves lives, makes communities more productive, and is a core component of strengthening health systems and attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
While Africa has made tremendous gains toward increasing access to immunization in the last 15 years, progress has stagnated, leaving one in five African children without access to life-saving vaccines. As a result, vaccine-preventable diseases continue to claim too many lives.
On January 31, 2017, at the 28th African Union AU) Summit, Heads of State from across Africa endorsed the Addis Declaration on Immunization (ADI), thereby committing to advance universal access to immunization across Africa. The ADI was initially drafted and signed by ministers and other high-level representatives at the Ministerial Conference on Immunization in Africa (MCIA) in February 2016. Statements of support have been issued by civil society organizations, religious leaders from across faiths, and parliamentarians to support countries in the implementation of the ADI.
The ADI includes ten commitments to achieve universal and equitable access to immunization on the African continent (see below for list of commitments). This roadmap outlines strategies for Member States to accelerate progress on the ADI commitments. The roadmap was developed in close collaboration with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) offices in the African Region (AFRO) and Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMRO), the AU Commission (AUC), and immunization partners. The roadmap builds on and complements existing efforts aimed at improving immunization in Africa and around the world, particularly the Global Vaccine action Plan (GVAP).
