On October 16, 2022, at the World Health Summit, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced it will commit $1.2 billion to support efforts to end all forms of polio globally. The announcement was made ahead of a key pledging moment that was co-hosted by Germany and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) on October 18. The new financial commitment will support implementation of the GPEI’s Polio Eradication Strategy 2022-2026, which aims to end wild poliovirus in the last two endemic countries—Pakistan and Afghanistan—and stop outbreaks of new variants of the virus. The foundation has contributed nearly $5 billion to GPEI.
“Polio eradication is within reach. But as far as we have come, the disease remains a threat. Working together, the world can end this disease,” said Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “The fight against polio has done far more than protect children against polio. It has played a key role in strengthening health systems,” said Melinda French Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “Polio workers have been especially vital in responding to COVID-19 and reaching communities about the importance of vaccination against preventable diseases.”
The Global Polio Eradication Initiative is a public-private partnership led by national governments with six core partners; Rotary International, the World Health Organization (WHO), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), UNICEF, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
