The "La Caixa" Foundation and Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, promoted the Alliance for Child Vaccination in 2008. Since then, it has raised more than 100 million euros and has allowed the vaccination of some 11 million children in countries in Africa and Latin America. Likewise, a meeting was held with the Under-Secretary-General and Director of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Susan Brown.
The general director of the "La Caixa" Foundation, Josep Maria Coronas, and the director of the International Area of the Foundation, H.R.H. Infanta Doña Cristina, have met with the chairman of the Board of Directors of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, José Manuel Barroso, to seal the commitment of both entities to the Alliance for Child Vaccination.
During the celebration of the last World Economic Forum (WEF), held in January 2025, the "La Caixa" Foundation announced the renewal of its commitment to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the increase of its contribution to the Alliance for Child Vaccination to three million euros annually over the next three years. The meeting with the president of Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance has allowed to seal this commitment, as well as to address the next challenges.
Likewise, Josep Maria Coronas and Infanta Doña Cristina have met with the Under-Secretary-General and Director of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Susan Brown, a meeting in which they have been able to address the collaboration promoted by both entities within the framework of the Work4Progress program of the "La Caixa" Foundation, and discuss future challenges.
17 years alongside Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance
The Alliance for Child Vaccination was promoted in 2008 by the "La Caixa" Foundation together with Gavi in Europe, with the support of the Gates Foundation and the collaboration of the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal). Since then, this initiative has raised more than 100 million euros, which have allowed to immunize, especially against pneumonia, approximately 11 million children from especially vulnerable areas of Latin America and Africa who do not have access to vaccines.
Achieving this has been possible thanks to the contributions of the "La Caixa" Foundation and to the donations made by 5,500 companies from all over the national territory as a philanthropy initiative included in their corporate social responsibility, as well as to the contributions of solidarity citizens.
All donations received are multiplied by four through the matching fund 1 = 4 formula. That is, for every euro donated, "la Caixa" Foundation adds another euro up to 3 million annually; and for its part, the Gates Foundation, through its planned contribution to Gavi's matching fund, is pleased to match the commitment announced by "la Caixa" Foundation. Furthermore, ISGlobal, which joined this alliance as a strategic partner in 2014, will continue to contribute its scientific and academic expertise to the project.
In the last five years, the funds raised by "la Caixa" Foundation have allowed for 100% financing of the cost of vaccines supported by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance against pneumonia in Mozambique.
Collaboration with UNDP
Coronas and Infanta Cristina also met with the Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Susan Brown, to address the collaboration between both entities, as well as the Foundation's participation, as a reference entity in the private sector, in the IV International Conference on Financing for Development organized by the United Nations in Seville.
The collaboration between the Foundation and the main UN agency for international development dates back to 2019, the year in which both entities published the dossier Open innovation platforms for sustainable development on social innovation platforms for development and methodologies for listening, co-creation, prototyping, new financing instruments, and evolutionary evaluation. This dossier was also presented at a seminar on social innovation platforms organized by both institutions at the UN Women headquarters in New York.
The Foundation plans to participate in the International Conference on Financing for Development organized by the United Nations in SevilleSubsequently, in 2021, "la Caixa" Foundation and UNDP signed the first framework collaboration agreement, whose main lines of action focused on the exchange of experiences and knowledge related to job creation and opportunities for the most vulnerable people. The agreement also included the creation of a working group on new financing models, focused on to finance social innovation platforms(Social Innovation Platforms - SIP) for systemic change.
Within the framework of this collaboration and the long history of "la Caixa" Foundation in the field of social innovation, the Foundation is expected to participate in the IV International Conference on Financing for Development organized by the United Nations in Seville. The meeting, which will be held from June 30 to July 3, will address the future of sustainable development.
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