GAVI’s governance structure is built to balance strategic leadership with accountability across its global partnerships. Through a network of independent boards, the Alliance ensures that both programmatic decisions and financial oversight remain transparent, collaborative, and mission-aligned. This structure plays a critical role in guiding immunization efforts and funding strategies around the world.
GAVI’s Five Governance Entities
GAVI operates through a framework of five distinct governance bodies, each playing a specialized role in managing its strategic and financial responsibilities.
These include the GAVI Alliance, the GAVI Fund, the GAVI Foundation, the GAVI Fund Affiliate, and the International Finance Facility for Immunisation (IFFIm). Together, they form a cohesive network that supports the Alliance’s core mission: improving access to vaccines in low-income countries.
The GAVI Alliance and GAVI Fund are central to shaping and implementing programmatic policies. These boards work with a range of global partners—from governments and health institutions to civil society organizations—to ensure alignment and consistency in decision-making.
They are responsible for setting the Alliance’s strategic direction, monitoring progress, and ensuring transparency across operations.
On the financial side, the GAVI Fund Affiliate and IFFIm oversee funding mechanisms that power GAVI’s initiatives. IFFIm, in particular, plays a vital role by raising funds through capital markets, allowing for long-term financial commitments.
These funds are then allocated through the GAVI Fund Affiliate to support immunization programs worldwide, ensuring that strategic goals are backed by sustainable financial resources.
The GAVI Alliance Board
The GAVI Alliance Board is the central hub of strategic decision-making within the Alliance. It is responsible for guiding programmatic policies, setting long-term goals, and ensuring that all partners remain aligned in their efforts to expand vaccine access.
While the Board itself is not a legal entity, its governance is defined by a set of Guiding Principles that outline its procedures, values, and collaborative expectations.
One of the Board’s key functions is to approve and oversee the implementation of the Alliance’s strategic plans, such as the 2006–2010 Strategic Plan and its related work programs. The Board also reviews recommendations from the Independent Review Committee and decides on the level and scope of support for country-specific immunization programs.
It ensures that each partner’s commitments are tracked and integrated into GAVI’s broader mission, helping maintain accountability across all operational areas.
In addition to strategy and oversight, the Board plays a vital role in leadership and advocacy. It approves the budget for the Secretariat and any task forces it establishes, nominates the Executive Secretary for appointment by the host organization, and contributes to global fundraising efforts.
Perhaps most importantly, the Board serves as a space where diverse global actors collaborate, resolve conflicts, and shape the future of immunization through joint leadership.
Board Operations and Procedures
The GAVI Alliance Board typically meets twice a year, with additional teleconferences scheduled as needed to address urgent matters. Meeting agendas are developed by the Executive Secretary in coordination with the Board Chairperson and the Working Group.
The Executive Secretary also serves as the Board’s official secretary, ensuring that meeting logistics, documentation, and coordination remain consistent and organized.
Attendance at Board meetings is limited to officially designated representatives from each member organization. Substitutes or alternates are not permitted in the event of absence, preserving consistency and accountability within decision-making processes.
In some cases, observers may be invited to attend meetings in an ex-officio, non-voting capacity. These observers can contribute to discussions but have no influence over final outcomes, preserving the integrity of the voting process.
While the Board strives for consensus in all major decisions, it retains the ability to call for a vote if needed. In such cases, each member is allotted one vote, regardless of constituency size or affiliation.
It’s important to note that while the Board provides strategic direction and high-level guidance, its decisions are not legally binding on the individual member organizations. This allows GAVI to maintain a collaborative structure that respects the autonomy of its diverse partners.
Board Composition
The GAVI Alliance Board is made up of two types of members: 13 rotating seats and 4 renewable institutional seats. Rotating members serve non-renewable three-year terms and represent a wide range of constituencies, including developing and industrialised country governments, civil society organizations, research institutions, and both developing and industrialised vaccine manufacturers.
This diverse makeup ensures that GAVI benefits from a wide range of perspectives and experiences, particularly from the countries most impacted by its programs.
Among the rotating members, examples include Ethiopia, Viet Nam, and Yemen representing developing country governments; the United States, United Kingdom, and Italy representing industrialised nations; and organizations like the Serum Institute of India and BRAC representing the vaccine industry and civil society.
These members are chosen through a transparent selection process within each constituency, allowing for consistent and meaningful representation at the highest level of the Alliance’s decision-making.
The four renewable members—WHO, UNICEF, The World Bank, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation—hold continuous seats due to their central role in global health and development. While these organizations may change their individual representatives over time, their institutional presence on the Board remains stable.
This blend of fixed and rotating members allows the Board to maintain strategic consistency while still incorporating new voices and ideas across terms.
Member Selection Criteria and Process
Selection to the GAVI Board is guided by a clear set of criteria designed to ensure that every representative brings meaningful value to the Alliance. Nominees are assessed not just on their personal qualifications, but also on the relevance and potential impact of their organization’s role within GAVI’s mission.
Factors such as commitment to GAVI’s goals, availability for active participation, and the ability to maintain strong communication with their constituencies are central to the evaluation.
Diversity is also a key consideration. The selection process takes into account geographic balance, technical expertise, and gender representation to ensure a well-rounded Board.
Specific criteria may be tailored to individual seats depending on the needs of the Board at the time. When a call for nominations is issued, both general and specific criteria are shared in the announcement to ensure transparency and fairness across all constituencies.
For renewable members like WHO or UNICEF, any change in representation requires the submission of a new nomination, reviewed by the Board Chair. For rotating members, the process is more involved: outgoing members are responsible for facilitating a constituency-led nomination process to find suitable successors.
The Executive Secretary supports this by outlining selection criteria and helping issue invitations. Final appointments are subject to consultation and approval by the Board Chair, ensuring that each selection aligns with GAVI’s strategic direction.
The GAVI Alliance Executive Committee
Established in 2003, the GAVI Alliance Executive Committee was created to enhance the Board’s ability to make timely and well-informed strategic decisions.
This smaller, more agile group helps streamline the governance process by reviewing policy proposals, financial matters, and key operational issues before they reach the full Board. Its existence ensures that essential decisions don’t stall between the Alliance’s biannual Board meetings.
One of the committee’s primary responsibilities is to prepare and vet agenda items, helping the broader Board focus its time and attention on the most impactful issues. It also ensures that policies and strategies are thoroughly analyzed from multiple angles before being presented for full Board approval.
This added layer of review supports stronger alignment across the Alliance and helps maintain continuity between decision cycles.
In cases where immediate action is needed, the Executive Committee is empowered to make critical decisions on behalf of the Board. These actions are later reported back to the full Board for transparency and oversight.
By allowing the Alliance to remain responsive without compromising governance integrity, the Executive Committee plays a vital role in GAVI’s ability to function effectively in a dynamic global health landscape.
Conclusion
GAVI’s governance model reflects the complexity and ambition of its global mission. By structuring its leadership across multiple boards—each with defined roles and responsibilities—the Alliance ensures strategic clarity, financial accountability, and collaborative decision-making.
This approach enables GAVI to operate effectively at the intersection of public health, international development, and private sector innovation.
The GAVI Alliance Board remains central to setting the organization’s long-term direction, approving country support, and fostering alignment among diverse partners. Meanwhile, entities like the GAVI Fund Affiliate and IFFIm ensure that financial mechanisms are both sustainable and aligned with programmatic goals.
The Executive Committee further strengthens this structure by enabling swift decisions when timing is critical.
Altogether, this governance framework provides a strong foundation for GAVI’s efforts to expand vaccine access and reduce health inequities. It’s a model that balances inclusivity with efficiency, ensuring that every voice contributes to shaping outcomes—without losing momentum.
As global health challenges evolve, GAVI’s governance structure equips it to remain adaptable, accountable, and mission-focused.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the role of the GAVI Alliance Board?
The GAVI Alliance Board sets strategic policies, approves immunization support for countries, monitors work plans, and ensures partner alignment. It serves as the Alliance’s central decision-making body for programmatic matters, although its decisions are non-binding on individual member organizations.
How are GAVI Board members selected?
Board members are selected based on organizational relevance, commitment to GAVI’s mission, and individual expertise. Rotating members go through a constituency-led nomination process, while renewable members like WHO and UNICEF appoint representatives in coordination with the Board Chair.
What is the difference between rotating and renewable Board members?
Rotating members serve fixed three-year terms and represent a broad range of constituencies, such as governments, NGOs, and industry. Renewable members—WHO, UNICEF, the World Bank, and the Gates Foundation—have continuous seats and can change representatives as needed.
How often does the GAVI Board meet?
The Board meets twice a year in principle, with additional teleconferences as needed. These meetings are planned by the Executive Secretary in collaboration with the Chairperson and Working Group.
What is the GAVI Executive Committee, and why does it exist?
The Executive Committee was established to handle strategic and time-sensitive decisions between Board meetings. It reviews policy issues, prepares agenda items, and has limited authority to act on behalf of the Board to keep the Alliance agile and responsive.
Can observers participate in GAVI Board meetings?
Yes, observers may be invited by the Chairperson to contribute to discussions in a non-voting, ex-officio capacity. However, they cannot participate in formal votes or make decisions on behalf of the Board.
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