MADRID, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, a global health partnership with the goal of increasing access to immunisation in poor countries, was on Thursday named as the winner of Spain's prestigious 2020 Princess of Asturias Award for International Cooperation.
The Princess of Asturias Foundation, which is based in the city of Oviedo in northern Spain, highlights that Gavi is "an international cooperation mechanism that brings together public and private agents to provide support to national health systems to carry out programs worldwide, via which 760 million children in developing countries have been vaccinated."
It is estimated that these vaccinations could have saved up to 13 million lives, since Gavi was founded in the year 2000.
In announcing their decision to give the Award to Gavi, the jury explained that the organization "contributes directly to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and has an impact on improving life expectancy." They added that Gavi's work, "based on multilateral cooperation, brings together all social sectors and unifies efforts in favor of the health of the most vulnerable."
Established 40 years ago, the Princess of Asturias Awards are given for eight different categories. The awards aim to recognize and reward "the scientific, technical, cultural, social and humanitarian work carried out at an international level by individuals, institutions or groups of individuals or institutions."
The award winners receive a cash prize of 50,000 euros (around 55,000 U.S. dollars) and a sculpture from Spanish artist Juan Miro in a ceremony which is held in Oviedo in the presence of the Spanish Royal family every October. Enditem
