Effective planning is essential to align resources around common goals and strategies, support the ability to make strategic choices, and strengthen the accountability framework. As part of the transition to sustainable public financing of immunization, it is important that immunization plans align with national planning and budget processes
During the past two decades, the comprehensive multi-year planning (cMYP) process has been the cornerstone of strategic planning for immunization as part of the Global Vaccine Action Plan (2011-2020). However, a series of reviews highlighted persistent challenges. During 2016-2017, a rapid assessment of immunization planning recommended improving strategic and annual operational planning for immunization, including making the cMYPs more strategic, ensuring direct linkages between cMYP and annual operational plans, and simplifying the cMYP costing tool.
Following a review of existing costing tools and a consultative process involving a Steering Committee, a new approach has been developed; the National Immunization Strategy costing application (NIS.COST). This new approach has been designed for easy use and better integration with the national immunization strategic plan and the overall budgeting processes.
A review of costing, budgeting & financing tools was conducted to assesses best practices for strategic and operational planning with a focus on immunization. A total of eight tools were reviewed; six for immunization, one for tuberculosis interventions, and the OneHealth tool, which is a system-wide costing tool.
UNICEF undertook two studies in Malawi to understand public financial management bottlenecks and identify solutions. The first gives an overview of the National Immunization and Nutrition policy and planning mechanism and institution arrangements, and identified bottlenecks in the immunization and nutrition supplies budget process and potential solutions. The second study followed up on the recommendations, and a costing tool and standard operating procedure for quantification, forecasting and budgeting of vaccine procurement was developed.
UNICEF’s GIBD is a dynamic, user-friendly platform offering transparent, country-level data on domestic immunization budgets. Sourced directly from official national budget documents, it supports monitoring financing sustainability, strategic planning, and targeted advocacy for immunization programs. Ideal for policymakers, planners, and global health advocates.
The best practices report explores recent literature, including from other health programs to define the best strategic and annual operational planning for immunization.
New UNICEF guidelines highlight best practices for development or optimization of immunization AOP — in order to translate the National Immunization Strategy into specific actions and activities. Learn also about the AOP landscape analysis.
This study seeks to identify the actual bottlenecks of immunization financing and establish tracking immunization mechanisms to inform measures on strengthening immunization financing.
Line item in the Ministry of Health (MOH) budget is often an essential, first step. This study evaluated and compared immunization line items in 33 Sub-Saharan African countries.
The NIS.COST approach has been designed for easy use and better integration with the national immunization strategic plan and the overall budgeting processes.
The review assesses best practices of costing, strategic planning and budgeting tools with a focus on immunization. A total of eight tools were reviewed; six for immunization, one for tuberculosis interventions, and the OneHealth tool, which is a system-wide costing tool.
These two studies conducted in Malawi aimed to to understand public financial management bottlenecks and identify solutions through mapping the immunization and nutrition supplies budget process and developing a costing tool.