Abu Dhabi-based The Mohamed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity has committed $140 million to a $1.9 billion fund aimed at advancing global polio immunisation and eradication efforts. The fund is prominently backed by billionaire Microsoft founder Bill Gates.
This significant contribution underscores the UAE’s growing role as a leader in global health and humanitarian aid, channeling capital and influence towards solving critical international challenges.
Abu Dhabi Hosts Global Pledging Summit
The fundraising drive was part of a global pledging event, “Investing in Humanity: Uniting to End Polio,” hosted by the foundation in partnership with the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI). The summit was a key feature of the Abu Dhabi Finance Week, bringing together global leaders and philanthropists in the UAE’s capital.
“The new support pledged in Abu Dhabi will be instrumental in helping the GPEI reach all children in the final endemic countries and stop variant polio outbreaks worldwide,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization.
This was the third major GPEI pledging event held in Abu Dhabi, following successful summits in 2013 and 2019, which collectively raised $6.6 billion for the cause.
A Coalition Of Global Donors
The UAE’s contribution was part of a diverse international coalition. The Gates Foundation anchored the fund with a $1.2 billion commitment, joined by Rotary International ($450 million) and Bloomberg Philanthropies ($100 million).
Several countries also made significant pledges, including Pakistan ($154 million), Germany ($62 million), the United States ($46 million), Japan ($6 million), the Islamic Food & Nutrition Council of America ($4 million), and Luxembourg ($3 million).
A Legacy Of Support
The pledge builds on a long-standing commitment from the UAE’s leadership. UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has personally committed more than $525 million to polio eradication since 2011, directly helping to provide vaccines to over 400 million children annually.
Furthermore, the UAE’s Emirates Polio Campaign has been instrumental in on-the-ground efforts, distributing more than 850 million vaccine doses to children across Pakistan since 2014, with a strategic focus on immunising children in remote and hard-to-reach communities.
About The Global Polio Eradication Initiative
The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) is a public-private partnership leading the effort to eradicate polio worldwide. Launched in 1988, GPEI is led by national governments and spearheaded by the World Health Organization (WHO), Rotary International, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. Its mission is to ensure that no child will ever again be paralysed by any poliovirus.
Source: AGBI
