This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Expanded Programme of Immunization (EPI), a global initiative to get vaccines to every child, everywhere. While much progress has been made over the last 50 years, there is still much more work to be done to ensure equitable access to vaccines for all.

In this episode, Qali speaks with immunisation experts to understand what Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) can bring to the challenge of reaching everyone and navigating vaccination in a world still recovering from the impacts of COVID-19.

Guests (in order of appearance)

• Francine Ganter Restrepo, SBC Specialist, Immunisation and Health, UNICEF East and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO)
• Heidi Larson, Founder and Director of The Vaccine Confidence Project
• Dr. Saad Omer, Dean, Peter O’Donnell Jr. School of Public Health

Resources (in order of mention)

• Global immunization efforts have saved at least 154 million lives over the past 50 years, UNICEF Armenia
• NYHQ ED Russell World Immunization Week 2024
• 50th Anniversary of the Expanded Programme on Immunization
• Finding the missing link: Improving vaccination coverage in zero dose communities with human-centred design, UNICEF
  • Final Report
  • Executive Summary
• Humanly Possible: Immunization for all, UNICEF
• SBC in Support of System Strengthening

The views and opinions expressed by the contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of UNICEF or any entities they represent. The content here is for information purposes only.

The ABCs of SBC is hosted by Qali Id and produced and developed by Helena Ballester Bon in partnership with Common Thread.

Check out UNICEF’s latest publication on Social and Behaviour Change, Why don’t you just behave! For more information about UNICEF SBC, check out the programme guidance.

We care about what you think — you can share your thoughts on the podcast using this feedback form. For all other inquiries, please contact sbc@unicef.org.