Civil society organizations, the implementing partners of the Global Vaccine Action Plan

Abstract

The authors illustrate by way of civil society (CS) experiences in Pakistan, India, and Ghana how the guiding principles of CS and civil society organizations (CSOs) align with those of the Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP); (i.e., country ownership, shared responsibility and partnership, equity, integration, sustainability, and innovation). These experiences show how CS is contributing to GVAP goals such as global polio eradication and improving vaccination coverage by removing barriers and ultimately working toward achieving Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 4-reducing child mortality. A number of CSOs working in the field of child health share some of the objectives enlisted in GVAP: that immunization becomes a national health priority; individuals, families, communities understand the importance of immunization; benefits of immunization are equitably extended to all people; and vaccination systems are part of an integrated health system.