CANBERRA - The Australian government on Friday announced increased funding for a global vaccines body after the United States withdrew its support.

Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong and Minister for International Development Anne Aly said the federal government will provide AU$386 million ($252.8 million) to support the work of Gavi, the vaccine alliance, from 2026 to 2030.

The new commitment includes AU$300 million ($196.5 million) in new funding as well as  AU$86 million ($56.3 million) previously pledged by Australia for COVID-19 vaccines.

The announcement came after the US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said on Wednesday that the United States would halt funding for Gavi, having previously provided around 13 percent of its budget.

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Since it was founded in 2000, the public-private global health partnership has helped vaccinate more than 1.1 billion children.

Wong and Aly said in a joint statement that Australia's support for the initiative directly benefits close neighbors in Asia and the Pacific.

They said that Australia is pleased to partner with Gavi at a time of "heightened global uncertainty" to directly support close neighbors.

"Health security requires collective action, and our new pledge to Gavi will help ensure countries in our region and around the world can access lifesaving vaccines," Aly said.

Australia pledged 300 million AUD to Gavi for the five-year period from 2021 to 2025.