Global Donors Pledge $1.9 Billion to Eradicate Polio

At an international summit in Abu Dhabi, world leaders, philanthropic organizations, and global health partners pledged $1.9 billion to fully eradicate polio. According to a statement from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, over $1.2 billion of the pledged amount is new funding, which will reduce the program’s strategic funding gap for 2022–2029 by $440 million.

Organizers stated that the funds will enable the vaccination of approximately 370 million children annually and strengthen health systems in vulnerable countries. The largest contributions were announced by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation with $1.2 billion, the Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan Humanitarian Foundation with $140 million, Rotary International with $450 million, and Bloomberg Philanthropies with $100 million. Additional pledges came from Pakistan ($154 million), Germany ($62 million), the United States ($46 million), Japan ($6 million), the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America ($4 million), and Luxembourg ($3 million).

Tedros Adhanom, Director-General of the World Health Organization, said in his speech that the world is on the brink of a historic success in fully eradicating polio, and called on countries to collaborate and take swift action to achieve this humanitarian goal.

Afghanistan remains one of only two countries globally where the polio virus continues to pose a transmission risk. Health experts emphasize that eliminating polio requires not just funding and vaccination campaigns but also improved public awareness. Dr. Madad Khan Danishwar stressed the need for consistent awareness programs to change public attitudes toward vaccination and encourage families to get their children vaccinated against polio. Dr. Arifa also noted the importance of investing in educational initiatives targeted at mothers, as the disease can cause childhood paralysis and increased maternal engagement is essential for successful immunization.

Although the World Health Organization recorded over 20 confirmed polio cases in Afghanistan last year, the Taliban-controlled Ministry of Public Health has denied these reports. Nevertheless, international organizations have not yet declared the country polio-free.