Prime Highlights:
- International leaders and philanthropists pledge $1.9 billionto accelerate global efforts to eradicate polio.
- The funding aims to vaccinate 370 million children each yearand strengthen health systems in countries affected by polio.
Key Facts:
- Wild poliovirus is now limited to Afghanistan and Pakistan, but variant polio outbreaks continue in 18 countries.
- The UAE has helped distribute over 850 million vaccine dosesto children in Pakistan, focusing on remote and hard-to-reach communities.
Background:
International leaders and global health partners gathered in Abu Dhabi on Monday to announce a collective pledge of $1.9 billion to advance efforts to eradicate polio. The funding includes approximately $1.2 billion in new pledges, reducing the resource gap for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative’s (GPEI) 2022–2029 Strategy to $440 million.
At the “Investing in Humanity: Uniting to End Polio” event, hosted by the Mohamed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity with GPEI, pledges were made to help vaccinate 370 million children each year against polio. The funding will also strengthen health systems in affected countries and protect children from other preventable diseases.
Prominent attendees included Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister Ahsan Iqbal Chaudhary of Pakistan, Bill Gates, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of WHO, and leaders from governments and global organizations. Donors included the Gates Foundation ($1.2B), Rotary International ($450M), Bloomberg Philanthropies ($100M), and the UAE ($140M), among others.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized the importance of global support, saying, “We are very close to eradicating polio and achieving a historic victory for humanity.” This new support will help reach every child in the final endemic countries and stop outbreaks worldwide.”
Since 2011, President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has committed $525 million to polio eradication. The UAE has played a key role in vaccinating children in remote and hard-to-reach areas.
Experts estimate that global eradication of polio would make it the second human disease ever eradicated, after smallpox, and save more than $33 billion by 2100.
Bill Gates emphasized, “We are 99.9% of the way there. The last stretch demands the same determination that got us this far.” UNICEF, Gavi, and other partners echoed the commitment to reach every child and create a polio-free future for all children.
