Overview
- The largest pledge was $1.2 billion from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, with additional commitments from Rotary International, the Mohamed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and several governments.
- GPEI warns of a 30% budget reduction in 2026 and had projected a $1.7 billion shortfall through 2029, signaling that a significant financing gap persists despite the new funds.
- The funding drive targets vaccination for 370 million children each year and prioritizes stronger surveillance and health systems in vulnerable and high-transmission settings.
- Pakistan pledged $154 million and announced intensified door-to-door immunisation and surveillance in high-risk districts, underscoring its central role as one of two remaining endemic countries.
- Wild poliovirus remains endemic in Afghanistan and Pakistan, variant outbreaks continue across multiple countries, and officials reported 39 children paralysed this year in the two endemic nations.