GAVI, Scaling the Summit

Today is the day when world leaders will really demonstrate their commitment to international aid. At the GAVI (Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisations) summit, hosted by David Cameron and Bill Gates, leaders from around the world will pledge funds to ensure GAVI's work can continue.

The total cost of the work up to 2015 is £4.2bn and ahead of today's historic summit, there was a gap in this funding, of £2.3bn.  This gap MUST be plugged, if we are to give children in poorer countries the start in life they deserve - the same start in life that we take for granted for our children in the UK.

I have heard a few people, including MPs and Ministers such as Liam Fox, criticise David Cameron for making a commitment to the UK's continuation of funding to GAVI.

They say: We do not have the money.

I say: What would you prioritise above stopping children from dying?

They say: Charity begins at home.

I say: This is not about charity it is about humanity.

So far today, Bill Gates, who we met yesterday, has personally pledged $1bn and David Cameron has promised $1.3bn from the UK. 

More news later...

Updated:14:35 

We were very lucky to be sat in the front row of the press conference to hear Secretary of State Andrew Mitchell and Bill Gates, announce the result of the GAVI Conference. 

Amazingly, the target of $3.7bn was exceeded, with a total of $4.3bn pledged by countries around the world. This includes a pledge of $1.3bn from the UK and $1bn from the Gates Foundation.  In fact, governments around the world more than doubled their previous commitments and new donating countries, included Japan and Brazil.

The developing countries also committed to maintain or increase their co-financing of their vaccine programmes.  Getting the vaccines out to children in remote areas is now much more of a possibility, thanks to the work done here today.

It isn't often I praise David Cameron, but this is one issue that requires party politics to be checked at the door. Today, he promised that "Britain will play its full part and our support to GAVI will help vaccinate over 80 million children...That's one child vaccinated every two seconds for five years." For this, I must say he has done a great job.