Table 1 Literature review strategy

Websites searched

GAVI Alliance website

Electronic archives

UNICEF

Additional sources

Supporting references of all papers meeting criteria (below) yielded from searching the sources (above) were also reviewed.

Inclusion criteria

• Dealt explicitly with the GAVI Alliance (e.g. described findings from GAVI evaluations; detailed GAVI programs, policies, and/or resource allocation decisions)

• Explicitly discussed inequities/inequalities in access to vaccines, inequities/inequalities in coverage of immunization services, or inequities/inequalities in access/allocation to GAVI funds

• Related to one or more country which is, or has been, eligible to receive GAVI support since GAVI’s inception

Search updated to

01 November 2014

Restriction on language

English only

Restriction on year of publication

Published between 1998 and 2014 inclusive

Search terms

Terms used for PubMed searches were “Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations” OR “GAVI Alliance” OR “(GAVI)” AND “equity” OR “inequity” OR “equitable” OR “inequitable” OR “disparity”, OR “inequality”, OR “access to funds”, OR “access to vaccines”, OR “resource allocation”, OR “coverage deficits”, OR “immunization coverage”.

For Google Scholar, many of the same search terms were used; notably “GAVI Alliance” AND “equity” OR “equality” OR “access” OR “coverage” OR “resource allocation”

In reviewing unpublished grey literature and GAVI documents, key word searches were performed using the same terms as used for Google Scholar searches.

Categorization of papers identified

Papers meeting the inclusion criteria were categorized according to three time periods (Phase I: 1999–2005; Phase II: 2006–2010; Phase III: 2011–2015) and according to GAVI’s main policies, strategies, programs (strategy and work plan, vaccine priorities and new vaccine support, country eligibility policy, large countries and budget caps policies, program filters, cash-based support for program/system strengthening, vaccine introduction grants, financial sustainability policy, supply and procurement strategy, fragile states policy, program funding prioritization, gender policy)