The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has reaffirmed US $500 million pledge to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) in a signing event during the fourth Riyadh International Humanitarian Forum.
Dr. Abdullah al Rabeeah, Supervisor General of King Salman Relief and Humanitarian Centre, was joined by Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization.
Also, Catherine Russell, Executive Director of UNICEF; Dr. Sania Nishtar, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; Dr. Chris Elias, President of Global Development at the Gates Foundation and Chair of the Polio Oversight Board; and Aziz Memon, Pakistan Polio Plus Chair, Rotary International witnessed the signing of the deal.
While the agreement that will help the GPEI and its partners to reach 370 million children with polio vaccines each year and stop transmission of the virus for good.
According to World Health Organization statement on Monday, the funds were initially pledged in April 2024 at the first-ever World Economic Forum Special Meeting hosted in Riyadh.
“The world is on the path to eradicating polio once and for all, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is proud to be part of this global initiative,” said H.E. Dr. Abdullah al Rabeeah. “The Kingdom’s contribution will go toward the important work of protecting the most vulnerable children of today so that the generations of tomorrow can live free from this preventable disease.”
As a result of decades of leadership from GPEI partners, generous support from donors and the commitment of affected countries, polio cases have fallen by over 99% since the GPEI was founded in 1988.
More than 20 million people are walking today who would otherwise have been paralyzed by the virus. But fraught humanitarian crises – from parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan to Somalia and Yemen have allowed the virus to continue paralyzing the world’s most vulnerable children.
In 2024, the virus returned to Gaza in the occupied Palestinian territory after 25 years to paralyze a child, a cruel reminder that as long as polio exists anywhere, children everywhere will remain at risk.“We have come so far in our shared mission to consign polio to history, but the last mile is the hardest,” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
“Finishing the job requires unwavering determination, and this generous contribution from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will help us to reach children in conflict-affected and other difficult-to- reach areas as we work together to realize our vision of a polio-free world.”
“As we saw in Gaza last year, the hard-won gains of the global eradication effort are fragile if vaccination rates are allowed to drop.
“With the support of committed partners like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, we can better reach every child with life-saving vaccination and end polio, once and for all,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.
Today, governments and health workers, with support from the GPEI, are adapting to deliver polio vaccinations and other essential health services within aid crises, while strengthening health systems to bolster efforts in fragile contexts. Every commitment toward fully funding the GPEI’s extended 2022-2029 Strategy helps make this critical work possible.
“Just a few decades ago, polio paralyzed 350,000 children each year. In 2023, that number dropped to just 12 – a testament to the unwavering commitment of countries and partners worldwide.
The world is at the brink of finally eradicating this deadly disease, but reaching the finish line will require continued global leadership and support,” said Bill Gates, chair of the Gates Foundation.
“Thanks to this generous contribution from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, alongside long-standing efforts of many nations, we are one step closer to a polio-free world.”
Following the signing, H.E. Dr. Abdullah al Rabeeah will join GPEI and other global leaders and health advocates for a panel discussion on importance of reaching all children with polio vaccines, eradicating the disease for good and improving global health security.
