THE Mohamed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity, countries, philanthropic foundations and development partners have announced $1.9 billion, including approximately $1.2 billion in newly committed funds that reduce the remaining resource gap for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) Strategy 2022-2029 to $440 million.
This funding to strengthen global health systems, expand immunization, and accelerate progress toward polio eradication came after government, philanthropy, business, and civil society leaders issued a unified call to accelerate progress in child survival and the eradication of infectious diseases.
The Gates Foundation contributed $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.
Jointly organized by the Gates Foundation and the Mohamed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity, Goalkeepers Abu Dhabi brought together more than 500 world leaders.
The leaders delivered a clear message: the world must act now to reverse the rise in child deaths, stop preventable maternal deaths, and finish the job of ending preventable diseases, starting with polio.
New data from the Gates Foundation’s Goalkeepers 2025 Report shows that the number of children dying before age 5 is expected to increase for the first time in a century.
Leaders emphasized that this turning point requires bold decisions, renewed funding, and commitment to scale innovations that can save millions of lives by 2045.
Bill Gates, president of the Gates Foundation, said too many children continue to die from preventable diseases, and support is to strengthen those efforts, protect the most vulnerable children and help the world stay on track to end polio forever.”
Her Excellency Dr. Shamma Khalifa Al Mazrouei, Acting Director General of the Mohamed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity, stated in a comment that polio eradication is within our reach, adding: “Today’s generous pledges bring us closer than ever to this goal.
He added: “Both Goalkeepers Abu Dhabi and today’s moment of commitment underscore what is possible when countries and donors act together: a polio-free world and a healthier, more resilient future for all.”
A significant portion of the funding will support child survival efforts: expanding access to vaccines, protecting newborns, and sustaining critical immunization programs in fragile and conflict-affected settings.
Now that polio is 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 most serious diseases.
His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has personally committed more than $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,” highlighted what the world can achieve with courage, partnership and innovation.