Overview
- Donors included $1.2 billion from the Gates Foundation, $450 million from Rotary, $140 million from the Mohamed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity, and $100 million from Bloomberg Philanthropies.
- The event, held during Abu Dhabi Finance Week and hosted by the Mohamed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity with GPEI, drew Bill Gates and WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus alongside government and NGO leaders.
- GPEI partners say the funding will help protect roughly 370 million children each year and bolster health systems in vulnerable communities.
- Program risks persist, with GPEI projecting a 30% budget cut in 2026, continued donor retrenchment, and a remaining $440 million funding gap through 2029.
- Wild poliovirus remains endemic in Afghanistan and Pakistan, with 39 children paralyzed there this year, and variant poliovirus outbreaks continue across multiple countries.