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Sir John Parker, Chairman of Anglo-American plc (centre), meets with Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne (left), and Secretary of State for International Development, Andrew Mitchell (right), at No. 11 Downing Street, London (9 June 2011)

Andrew Mitchell and George Osborne today called on businesses to join the drive to immunise 250 million children in the developing world against deadly childhood diseases.

The breakfast was attended by (amongst others) Sir John Parker, Chairman of leading global mining company Anglo American and representatives of the charitable foundation Absolute Return for Kids (ARK), both of whom made pledges to GAVI (the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisations) to fund immunisations.

The UK Government will match donations to an agreed limit, potentially raising £100 million over the next five years to pay for vaccinations for children against diseases including pneumonia, Hepatitis B and rotavirus, which causes potentially fatal diarrhoea.

If the scheme is successful it will see millions more children in countries such as Sierra Leone, Mozambique and Zambia immunised against killer childhood diseases.

This morning’s breakfast comes ahead of GAVI’s five year pledging conference, which takes place on London on 13th June and which aims to raise enough funding to immunise at least a quarter of a billion children and save four million lives.

Britain will be joined round the pledging table by other donors including the USAID, the Norwegian Government and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

For more information, please see the full press release: <a href="http://www.dfid.gov.uk/Media-Room/Press-releases/2011/Government-hosts-business-breakfast-to-boost-vaccines/" rel="nofollow">www.dfid.gov.uk/Media-Room/Press-releases/2011/Government...</a>

Image: Russell Watkins / DFID

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