From donor funding to domestic leaders

5.9 million children under 5 died in 2015, the majority from vaccine preventable diseases. Decades of effort & investment from donor countries have driven significant progress but, in the final year of the Millennium Development Goals, 19.4 million children still missed out on vaccines that could save their lives. In order to tackle the remaining challenges and achieve universal immunisation, countries need to progress towards full country ownership of their routine immunisation programme. Governments need to show public leadership, commit to domestically financing immunisation programmes, and ensure those commitments trickle down to policy change that is implemented in communities. Donor agencies cannot support entire immunisation programmes that are delivered as part of a national health system. Politicians, community leaders, and civil society, at a national and local level, have an important role to play in encouraging full country ownership through scrutinising policy, holding leaders to account, and driving sustainable financing.