Your Excellency Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, President of the Republic of Mali;

Honourble Dr. Gerd Muller, Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany;

Honourable Ministers present;

Mr. Bill Gates, Co-Chair of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation;

Mr. Dagfinn Hoybrated, Chairman GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance;

Dr. Seth Berkley, CEO, GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance;

Distinguished Guests;

Ladies and Gentlemen;

Appreciation

Much has been said already, by those who spoke before me at this unique opportunity “making history together”.  Mine, therefore, are a few words to amplify the same.  Tanzania is proud to be part of this great GAVI family, and part of this historical mission of saving lives of innocent children through vaccine and immunization. This meeting here in Berlin to renew our resolve to scale up our immunization programs to reach more children and save more lives gives us every reason to be hopeful.

I thank Mr. Bill Gates and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for the outstanding contribution they have been making in supporting GAVI and for bringing us together this evening. It takes such a caring and compassionate to do what you are doing for the world, Bill. It is beyond philanthropy, it is beyond service, it is beyond words, it is a reflection of a genuine belief in humanity and the dignity of human beings. This evening we are also celebrating your lives, and accomplishments in life.

Tribute to Late Nelson Mandela

Ladies and Gentlemen;

As we meet this evening, it is befitting that we pay tribute to the legendary leader, the late President Nelson Mandela and the first President of GAVI. Madiba is one of Africa’s best sons. We will always applaud him and remember him for his outstanding contribution to this noble course. Words are not good enough to speak about the late Mandela. He is a man of extraordinary accomplishments, lessons and facets.

To many of us, the name Mandela is associated with the fight for equality and justice. His search for equality and justice for both the oppressed and the oppressors distinguished him from many people who otherwise would have searched for one and leave the other. To him, equality and justice was not only meant to be matters of political realm, but of all spheres of life. No wonder, he advocated for equality and justice with regard to the well being of children when he said, ” life or death of a young child too often depends on whether he is born in a country where vaccines available or not“.  Today, his legacy and spirit continue to live with us and they guide our actions. I am gratified that we have dedicated this evening to celebrate his life and renew our commitment to make his spirit immortal.

Achievements of GAVI

Ladies and Gentlemen;

The timing of this meeting is perfect given that it allows us to take stock of the gains and shape the future that is ahead of us. Since 2000, GAVI has made immunization possible to 370 million children, and has helped developing countries to prevent more than 5.5 million future deaths. These would have been caused by preventable diseases such as Hepatitis B, Haemophilus Influenza type B (HiB),  Measles, Pertussis, Pneumonic disease, Polio, Rotavirus, Diarrhea and Yellow Fever.

We in Tanzania have made remarkable achievements with regard to vaccine and immunization coverage.  Thanks to GAVI we speak about the universality of this program in Tanzania. Every child irrespective of the place they came from, family they belong or gender are granted free access to immunization. These achievements are not small at all. It took a lot of efforts and commitment on the part of a number of players including GAVI, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and other partners, to arrive at these hard-won results.  I thank each one of those who contributed for making it possible. Each life we have saved, we saved a generation and the next generation.

The challenge ahead of us is daunting one, indeed. One is tempted to say that it is an uphill task which requires timely action. We know fairly well that, securing the gains is one thing and sustaining those gains is another. We must rise to the challenge together.

Conclusive Remarks and Way Forward

Ladies and Gentlemen;

This evening we are walking through the path and footsteps of the great man, the late President Nelson Mandela. As he undertook the long walk to freedom, we are undertaking the long walk to freedom of our children from death caused by preventable diseases. Ours is a long walk for our children’s freedom to access vaccines and immunization, freedom from diseases and preventable deaths, and freedom for our children to pursue their future with hope and as equal. Taking this long walk is the best way to live up to President Mandela’s legacy. I thank all of you for your readiness to undertake this long walk and make it bear the desired outcomes. Again, I thank the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for leading the walk, and I thank GAVI and all other partners present here for making us walk the talk.

I thank you all for listening.