$1.9 billion in new commitments toward polio eradication announced

THE Mohamed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity, countries, philanthropic foundations, and development partners has announced US$1.9 billion, including approximately US$1.2 billion in newly pledged funds that reduce the remaining resource gap for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative’s (GPEI) 2022-2029 Strategy to $440 million.

This funding to strengthen global health systems, expand immunisation, and accelerate progress toward polio eradication, was made following leaders from government, philanthropy, business, and civil society issuing a unified call to accelerate progress on child survival and infectious disease eradication.

The Gates Foundation contributed US$1.2 billion, reflecting its long-term commitment to a future where no mother, baby, or child dies from preventable causes, and where deadly infectious diseases like polio are eliminated forever.

Co-hosted by the Gates Foundation and the Mohamed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity, Goalkeepers Abu Dhabi brought together more than 500 global leaders.

The leaders delivered a clear message: the world must act now to reverse rising child deaths, stop preventable maternal deaths and finish the job of ending preventable diseases, starting with polio.

New data from the Gates Foundation’s 2025 Goalkeepers Report shows that the number of children dying before age 5 is projected to rise for the first time in a century.

Leaders stressed that this turning point demands bold choices, renewed financing, and commitment to scaling innovations that can save millions of lives by 2045.

Bill Gates, chair of the Gates Foundation, said that far too many children are still dying from preventable diseases, and the support is to strengthen those efforts, protect the most vulnerable children, and help the world stay on course to end polio for good.”

Her Excellency Dr Shamma Khalifa Al Mazrouei, Acting Director General of the Mohamed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity, in a remark declared that polio eradication is within reach, adding: “today’s generous pledges bring us closer than ever to this goal.

She added, “Both the Goalkeepers Abu Dhabi and today’s pledging moment underscore what is possible when countries and donors act together: a world free from polio and a healthier, more resilient future for all.”

A significant portion of the funding will support child survival efforts: expanding vaccine access, protecting newborns, and sustaining critical immunisation programmes in fragile and conflict-affected settings.

With polio now 99.9% eradicated, leaders stressed that closing the final gap is both a moral imperative and proof that coordinated global action can defeat even the toughest diseases.

His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has personally committed more than US$525 million since 2011 to polio eradication, helping to reach more than 400 million children each year with vaccines.

This year’s Goalkeepers Abu Dhabi theme, “Imagine the Possible”, spotlighted what the world can achieve with courage, partnership, and innovation.