Salam, Nasreddine meet Gavi delegation, reaffirm cooperation and hope for continued support

BEIRUT — Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Health Minister Rakan Nasreddine met Wednesday with a high-level delegation from the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), led by its president, Dr. Sania Nishtar, to reaffirm ongoing cooperation.

"We affirmed our joint cooperation between the Ministry of Health and the Alliance, as well as with international organizations, the European Union, and all stakeholders offering support to Lebanon," Nasreddine said after the meeting. "We confirmed the continuation of this partnership, and we hope the cooperation continues as promised during the coming year, along with sustained support for the health sector in the upcoming phase."

The visit concluded a multi-day tour of health facilities, primary healthcare centers, and displacement camps across the country.

Nasreddine praised Gavi as "an organization that has helped us over the past years, and specifically during the past two years, with vaccines for children of all ages under 18," noting that "a large segment of both Lebanese and non-Lebanese populations benefited from it."

Gavi’s president was received on Tuesday by Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.

Since the onset of Lebanon’s economic crisis in 2019, vaccination rates have plummeted. In April, Dr. Alissar Rady, head of the technical team at WHO-Lebanon, warned of "a drop to 53% in the estimated vaccination rate in Lebanon."