Harriet Harman, Labour's Shadow Secretary of State for International Development, speaking ahead of the GAVI pledging conference to be held in London today said:

"In the developing world millions of children still die from  diseases which could be prevented by vaccinations we take for granted in the UK. That is unacceptable.

'Today,  there must be bold contributions from donors to ensure that GAVI has the resources it needs to save millions of children's lives and that the progress that has already been made does not stall. The private sector must also play its part by supplying vaccines at the lowest possible prices"

"I welcome the UK Government's hosting of this conference  and their commitment  to continuing the promise we made in government to spend 0.7% of Britain's Gross National Income on aid by 2013. Our development efforts can save millions of lives and help tackle the unacceptable inequality which means that where a child is born determines their chances in life.

'We must not turn our backs on the world's poorest.