Context
The vision and objectives of EVI are rooted within the context of the eight United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The MDGs most relevant to vaccines are:
- MDG 4 - reducing under five mortality
- MDG 5 - improve maternal health
- MDG 6 - combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other major diseases
- MDG 8 - forging a global partnership for development, including partnerships ensuring access to medicines.
The European Union has committed to the MDGs and hence to reducing the massive impact of diseases of poverty such as malaria, tuberculosis, leishmaniasis, meningitis and dengue. In the fight against malaria and other diseases of poverty, vaccines are a key asset. Accelerated development of safe and efficacious vaccines for such diseases is therefore a top priority.
For largely economic reasons - the costs of vaccine development compared with the return on investment - engagement of industry in development of vaccines for such diseases has historically been weak. EVI exists partly to overcome this problem.
Vision
The EVI vision is a world free of the intolerable burden of diseases of poverty within the coming decades.
Mission
Our mission is to contribute to the global efforts to control diseases of poverty by:
- Creating an environment conducive to accelerating the development and clinical assessment of vaccine candidates for diseases of poverty
- Promoting the affordability and accessibility of vaccines for diseases of poverty in low-income populations
- Aligning all major stakeholders and acting as a focal point to ensure the successful development of vaccines for diseases of poverty for low-income populations
- Communicating to stakeholders and public the importance of EVI's work and progress towards the deployment of affordable and efficacious vaccine candidates for diseases of poverty.
