About Us

Our mission is to extend the full benefits of immunization to all people, regardless of where they are born, who they are, or where they live.

Despite major progress during the Decade of Vaccines, millions of children still lack access to life-saving immunizations. The ERG was created to close this gap by identifying real-world, scalable strategies to improve equity in immunization. Achieving this goal requires better data, a focus on underserved geographies, and attention to the gender-related barriers that affect mothers as primary caregivers and health workers.

Who We Are

The ERG consists of senior experts working in global health immunization partner institutions, academia, and in-country government health officials.
READ MEMBER BIOS

How We Work

As an action-oriented think tank, we review evidence across health programs and other sectors. We aim to identify innovative approaches to achieve greater equity in immunization through policies and programming. Our goal is to provide actionable recommendations for use by decision-makers at national and global levels.
VIEW ERG OUTPUTS

Priority Themes

The ERG has identified four priority themes that impact immunization equity.

Remote Rural Areas
Where children are difficult to access

In remote areas, geographical barriers and limited infrastructure pose significant challenges to vaccine delivery. High costs and difficulty retaining health workers further complicate efforts to reach these children.

Urban Areas

Where children are difficult to identify

Rapid urbanization and the growth of informal settlements make it challenging to locate and track children in need of vaccines. The diverse, mobile populations in urban areas require innovative approaches to ensure no child is left behind.

Conflict-Affected Populations

Where it is dangerous for families and health workers

Security risks, disrupted health systems, and mobile populations severely impede immunization efforts in areas affected by conflict. Ensuring the safety of health workers while maintaining vaccine delivery in these volatile environments is a critical challenge.

Gender

Where women face many gender-related disadvantages that restrict access to quality health services

Gender inequalities significantly impact access to immunization services. Social norms, limited decision-making power, and other barriers contribute to immunization gaps for children. Health workers, many of whom are female, can also face gender-related barriers in their work.

© Equity Reference Group for Immunization. All rights reserved.