By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
The World Health Organization, WHO, United Nations Children Fund, UNICEF, and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to partner in committing €1.1 billion to ensure 370 million children get polio vaccination, to eradicate polio and other critical global health issues.
In a statement from the UNICEF Abuja office made available to Daybreak, this was disclosed at a meeting held on Wednesday in Brussels, Belgium it was disclosed that the new collaborative funding is aimed at ensuring 370 million children receive polio vaccination including health innovation in low-income countries.
Furthermore, WHO and UNICEF, as implementing partners of the funding, would engage in deployment of the resources to eradicate polio, support the distribution of other childhood immunizations and strengthen health systems, so they are better able to respond to emerging health threats.
The statement read, “The expected €1.1 billion financing package aims to provide new funding to eradicate a human disease for only the second time in history and help solve the health and development challenges faced by the world’s most vulnerable people, who otherwise do not get fair access to healthcare services and innovations.”
“We are about to wipe polio off the face of the Earth”, declared President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.”
“The European Commission, the EIB and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation are partnering to get through the final stretch. With 1 billion euros supported by our European investment strategy Global Gateway, we will invest in stronger health systems globally and local vaccine and medicine production, manufacturing and administration, where it is most needed.”
“Global cooperation has helped us put an end to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Now it will help us get rid of polio once and for all.”
Accordingly, the partnership marks a significant increase in funding for global health and human development under the European Commission’s European Fund for Sustainable Development plus (EFSD+) and is expected to include a match of new complementary funding for global health by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, maximizing the impact of every Euro committed by the EU and the European Investment Bank.
The President of the European Investment Bank, Werner Hoyer, President said , “Today we are united to write the final chapter in the history of polio.”
“The European Investment Bank is playing its part in a unique partnership with philanthropy and health partners, by providing EUR 500 million for investment supporting the Global Polio Eradication Programme.”
“This initiative will be a milestone in scaling up immunization and strengthening healthcare, ensuring that every child, regardless of their circumstances, can be protected against polio.”
To promote swift progress towards eradicating wild poliovirus, the partnership aims to deliver €500 million in payments to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative – specifically the World Health Organization and UNICEF.
“The funds will cover polio vaccinations for nearly 370 million children annually; deliver vital health services to children alongside polio campaigns, including measles vaccines and other routine immunizations; and strengthen health systems to better prepare and respond to emerging health threats, as the polio program has done against COVID-19, Ebola, and other diseases.”
“Today, wild poliovirus remains endemic in just two countries – Pakistan and Afghanistan – and 80 percent of variant poliovirus cases are found in just four subnational regions.”
“Thanks to medical innovations, the world eradicated one human disease – smallpox. “Today, we’re on the verge of ending another – wild poliovirus. ”
“I am committed to ensuring that no child, anywhere in the world, faces this awful disease.”
“I am also optimistic that we will eradicate polio once and for all and make health innovations more accessible for everyone, particularly those in the poorest countries,” said Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.”
Another €500 million aim to expand the innovation capacity of health systems in low- and middle-income countries, UNICEF stated.
