IFFIm’s Vaccine Bonds – raising funds to vaccinate children in the world’s poorest countries

Cyrus Ardalan, Former Chairman of ICMA, Chairman of Citigroup Global Markets and Chairman of Oaknorth Bank, discusses the work of the International Finance Facility for Immunisation (IFFIm), which he also chairs, in raising funding for Gavi, the Global Alliance for Vaccination and Immunisation. Gavi is a major force in vaccinating children in the world’s poorest countries. IFFIm’s Vaccine Bonds (which are aligned with ICMA’s Social Bond Principles) provide investors with a unique opportunity to realise both a secure rate of return and diversify their portfolios while helping save young lives. IFFIm has been instrumental in providing Gavi with funding which has helped to vaccinate more than 760 million children in the 2000–2019 period.