International leaders, philanthropists, and global health partners announced $1.9 billion in new commitments to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI). This funding will accelerate efforts to reach 370 million children each year with polio vaccines while strengthening health systems in affected countries to protect children from preventable diseases. Contributions to the GPEI were announced by the Gates Foundation, the United Arab Emirates, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Rotary International, and others.
The global pledging event, ‘Investing in Humanity: Uniting to End Polio,’ was hosted by the Mohamed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity in partnership with GPEI, and took place at Abu Dhabi Finance Week.
Bloomberg Philanthropies has been a steadfast partner in the fight to eradicate polio for more than a decade, investing $325 million to date. Our support of GPEI has helped deliver life-saving vaccines to children in some of the world’s most remote and challenging areas, and ensured that surveillance, outbreak response, and immunization systems remain robust.
Mike said, “Bloomberg Philanthropies has been teaming up with the Gates Foundation for more than a decade to eradicate polio – and we are within striking distance of what would be a monumental achievement. This new $100 million in support for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative and our partners around the world will help us get there – and help spare more people from the terrible effects of this disease.”