COUNTRIES and partners announce commitments to vaccinate 450
million children against polio each year and to overcome barriers to reaching
every child.
The global leaders convened at the Reaching the
Last Mile (RLM) Forum in Abu Dhabi to affirm their commitment to eradicate
polio and pledge US$2.6 billion as part of the first phase of the funding
needed to implement the Global Polio Eradication Initiative’s Polio Endgame
Strategy 2019-2023.
According to WHO
reports, this pledging event comes on the heels of a major announcement last
month that the world has eradicated two of the three wild polio virus strains,
leaving only wild polio virus type 1 (WPV1) still in circulation.
Additionally, Nigeria
– the last country in Africa to have cases of wild polio – has not seen wild
polio since 2016 and the entire WHO African region could be certified wild
polio-free in 2020.
Thanks to the
dedicated efforts of health workers, governments, donors and partners, wild
polio only circulates in two countries: Pakistan and Afghanistan.
“From supporting one
of the world’s largest health workforces, to reaching every last child with
vaccines, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative is not only moving us closer
to a polio-free world, it’s also building essential health infrastructure to
address a range of other health needs,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus,
Director-General of the World Health Organization and Chair of the Polio
Oversight Board.
“We are grateful for
the generous pledges made today and thank governments, donors and partners for
standing with us. In particular, I would like to thank His Highness Sheikh
Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi for hosting the GPEI
pledging moment and for his long-term support for polio eradication.”
The commitments
announced today come at a critical time for the polio eradication effort.
Barriers to reaching
every child – including inconsistent campaign quality, insecurity, conflict,
massive mobile populations, and, in some instances, parental refusal to the
vaccine – have led to ongoing transmission of the wild poliovirus in Pakistan
and Afghanistan.
Further, low
immunity to the virus in parts of Africa and Asia where not all children are
vaccinated has sparked outbreaks of a rare form of the virus.
To surmount these
obstacles and protect 450 million children from polio every year, governments
and donors announced significant new financial commitments toward the $3.27
billion needed to support the Polio Endgame Strategy.
Pledges are from a
diverse array of donors, including: US$160 million from the host of the
pledging moment His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince
of Abu Dhabi; countries, including US$215.92 million from the United States,
US$160 million from the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, US$105.05 million from
Germany, US$84.17 million from the Federal Government of Nigeria, US$10.83
million from Norway, US$10.29 million from Australia, US$7.4 million from
Japan, US$2.22 million from Luxembourg, US$1.34 million from New Zealand,
US$116,000 from Spain, and US$10,000 from Liechtenstein; GPEI partners, including
US$1.08 billion from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and US$150 million
from Rotary International; philanthropic organizations, including US$50 million
from Bloomberg Philanthropies, US$25 million from Dalio Philanthropies, US$15
million from the Tahir Foundation, US$6.4 million from the United Nations
Foundation, US$2 million from Alwaleed Philanthropies, US$1 million from the
Charina Endowment Fund, and US$1 million from Ningxia Yanbao Charity
Foundation; and the private sector, including US$1 million from Ahmed Al
Abdulla Group, US$1 million from Al Ansari Exchange, and US$340,000 from Kasta
Technologies.
Earlier this month,
the United Kingdom announced it would contribute up to US$514.8 million to the
GPEI.
“We are proud to
host the GPEI pledging moment in Abu Dhabi and thank all the attendees for
their continued commitment to the eradication of polio,” said Her Excellency
Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Cabinet Member and Minister of State for International
Cooperation. “Since launching in 2014, the Emirates Polio Campaign has
delivered more than 430 million polio vaccines in some of the most remote areas
of Pakistan. We remain firm in our
mission to reach every last child and believe together we can consign polio to
the pages of history.”
In addition to
overcoming barriers to reach every child, this funding will ensure the
resources and infrastructure built by the GPEI can support other health needs
today and in the future. Polio workers deliver Vitamin A supplements, provide
other vaccines like those for measles and yellow fever, counsel new mothers on
breastfeeding, and strengthen disease surveillance systems to anticipate and
respond to outbreaks.
As part of its
commitment to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment, the GPEI is also
working to ensure equal participation of women at all levels of the programme.
The future of polio
eradication hinges on support and engagement at all levels of the programme –
from individuals to communities to local and national governments to donors.
If the strategies needed to reach and
vaccinate children are fully implemented and funded, we are confident that we
can deliver a world where no child lives in fear of polio.