UNICEF's Immunization Partners

UNICEF partners: working together to save lives

BD

BD, a global medical technology company and a leading manufacturer of injection devices, has been a UNICEF partner for nearly 20 years. A pioneer in the effort to eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus (MNT), BD was the first company to partner with UNICEF in support of MNT elimination, and the company continues to play a key role in advocating for the cause. To date, BD has provided UNICEF with more than $6 million in funding, as well as product donations valued at more than $3 million. BD's continued support has been essential in helping UNICEF work toward its goal of eliminating tetanus as a global public health problem and improving the lives of women and children everywhere.

Kiwanis International

Kiwanis International is a global organization of nearly 600,000 members dedicated to serving the children of the world. Kiwanis and its family of clubs—including Circle K, Key Club, Builders Club, K-Kids and Aktion Club—raise nearly $100 million annually for communities, families and projects, and contribute more than 18 million volunteer hours every year. Service is at the heart of every Kiwanis club, no matter where in the world it’s located. In 2010, Kiwanis International partnered with UNICEF to begin The Eliminate Project, a global fundraising campaign which aims to raise $110 million to help eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus (MNT). This historic initiative is providing for vaccines, health education, training of birth attendants, and more. It is also paving the way for the delivery of other lifesaving services.

LDS Charities 

LDS Charities, the humanitarian arm of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, sponsors relief and development projects in 189 countries. LDS Charities partners with UNICEF to support many of its programs, from emergency response to education and early childhood development, particularly for those impacted by the global refugee crisis. LDS Charities also supports UNICEF's efforts to strengthen routine immunizations for children, to help eradicate polio and eliminate measles and maternal and neonatal tetanus. In 2014, LDS Charities joined the Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus (MNT) Elimination Initiative, contributing $5.5 million to date. 

Rotary International

Rotary brings together a global network of volunteers dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges, connecting 1.2 million members from more than 35,000 Rotary clubs in over 200 countries and geographical areas. The global eradication of polio has been Rotary's top priority since 1985, with more than one million Rotary members donating their time and personal resources to end the disease. Rotary has contributed more than $1.7 billion and countless volunteer hours to immunize more than 2.5 billion children in 122 countries. Every year, hundreds of Rotary members work side-by-side with health workers to vaccinate children in polio-affected countries. Rotary members work with UNICEF and other partners to prepare and distribute mass communication tools to reach people in areas isolated by conflict, geography, or poverty. Rotary members also recruit fellow volunteers, assist with transporting the vaccine and provide other logistical support. Through the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, polio cases have plummeted by more than 99.9%, from about 350,000 in 1988 to just 22 wild poliovirus cases in 2017.

Special Initiatives

Global Polio Eradication Initiative

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) is a public-private partnership led by national governments with five partners: the World Health Organization (WHO), Rotary International, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The goal: to eradicate polio worldwide. GPEI has helped countries make huge progress in protecting populations from polio, a debilitating disease. The total number of cases has declined by more than 99.9.% since the initiative's founding, saving an estimated 1.5 million lives and an estimated 16 million people from permanent paralysis. Since GPEI's launch, 2.5 billion children have been immunized. Today, the wild poliovirus can be found in only three countries on earth: Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan. The goal is to tackle polio in these last few strongholds, and eradicate it once and for all.

The Measles and Rubella Initiative

Launched in 2001, the Measles Initiative is a partnership — led by the American Red Cross, United Nations Foundation, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF and World Health Organization — committed to reducing measles deaths worldwide. Partners provide technical and financial support to governments and communities conducting mass vaccination campaigns, improving routine immunization services, and establishing effective disease surveillance. To date, the partnership has invested more than US $875 million in measles control activities. In 2012, a new plan to jointly tackle measles and rubella using the same strategy and a combined measles-rubella vaccine.

Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus (MNT) Elimination Initiative

Tetanus is an excruciating disease that kills one newborn every 15 minutes, or approximately 93 babies every day. A significant number of mothers die as well. Typically contracted through unhygienic childbirth practices, the disease is swift, cruel and lethal. But it is also highly preventable. An affordable vaccine given to women of childbearing age can stop tetanus. The MNT Elimination Initiative is an international private-public partnership that includes national governments, UNICEF, WHO, UNFPA, GAVI, USAID/ImmunizationBasics, CDC, UNICEF National Committees, the Government of Japan, Save the Children, PATH, RMHC, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Kiwanis International, Pampers – a division of Procter & Gamble, BD and LDS Charities.