Abu Dhabi to host global pledging event for polio eradication

The Mohamed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity will host a major pledging event in Abu Dhabi on December 8 to support global efforts to eradicate polio.

The event will bring together governments, donors and health partners to raise new funding for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI).

It’s the third such pledging moment hosted in the UAE, following successful summits in 2013 and 2019 that raised over $6.6 billion.

The announcement was made by UAE Ambassador to the UN, Mohamed Abushahab, on World Polio Day in New York.

He said the UAE remains committed to global health and believes in the power of collective action to eliminate polio once and for all.

The pledging event will coincide with Goalkeepers Abu Dhabi, co-hosted by the Mohamed bin Zayed Foundation and the Gates Foundation, and aims to accelerate progress on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

With wild poliovirus still present in two countries, global health leaders say renewed funding and political will are critical to finally ending the disease.

UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan is a leading supporter of global efforts to end polio, including through multiyear commitments to GPEI and the Emirates Polio Campaign, which works in partnership with the Government of Pakistan to vaccinate and protect hard-to-reach children.

In addition to funding, the UAE has provided technical and diplomatic support to accelerate eradication campaigns and been instrumental in bringing global attention and resources to the issue.