An anticipated IFFIm investment of US$4 billion is expected to prevent 5 million child deaths between 2005 and 2015, and more than 5 million future adult deaths. This is in addition to the estimated 1.5 million lives that will be saved if resources invested in GAVI (formerly the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization) continue at their current level.

Frontloading development assistance will allow for more sustainable planning and generate greater benefits than traditional aid programmes. Frontloading simply means investing the majority of resources "up front" in the expectation that this will prove more efficient and cost-effective than spreading small increases in funding over time.

Investing this critical mass of funds allows the full potential of childhood immunization to be realized. A major constraint plaguing immunization efforts in recent years has been the lack of stable, predictable and coordinated cash flows for an extended period. The IFFIm addresses this concern and provides flexibility by mediating between necessary disbursements and the timing of donor payments. The IFFIm allows both developing countries and vaccine manufacturers to plan for longer periods of time knowing the necessary resources will be available. This predictability increases efficiency, planning and results.

Moreover, frontloading funding for immunization will secure better pricing, accelerate increased availability of new vaccines, support the substantial system improvements required to absorb new vaccines such as pneumococcal and rotavirus, and scale up coverage to 90% in every country, in accordance with the goals set in 2002 in the World Fit for Children declaration.

Immunization is well suited to use IFF-generated funds because it:

• Is an essential and highly cost-effective intervention that is integral to the public health system
• Has the potential to save millions of children's lives through a substantial ramp-up in coverage rates
• Can use frontloaded funds to accelerate vaccine market forces
• Can be scaled up quickly, even in resource-poor settings
• Is a key first (and sometimes, only) point of contact for mothers and children with the health systems, and can be used to deliver other interventions such as vitamin A and insecticide-treated bed nets
• Can channel funds through an existing effective system