Pakistan and UNICEF, on October 11, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the procurement of vaccines for the Polio Emergency Program.
The Pakistani government initiated the Polio Emergency Program in 2011 after declaring a state of emergency amid rising numbers of polio cases in the country and allocated significant financial resources for the program.
During this period, the government dedicated $155 million to the initiative and, in a demonstration of international solidarity, obtained an extra $100 million in assistance from the Islamic Development Bank and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
“Another €500 million aims to expand the innovation capacity of health systems in low- and middle-income countries. This includes new funding to innovations like mRNA-based vaccines and therapeutics more accessible to people in low- and middle-income countries,” WHO said in its X post.
Secretary of National Health Services, Iftikhar Shallwani, expressed deep appreciation for this vital financial assistance.
“The meticulous groundwork is evident as all necessary documentation was successfully completed, and IsDB recently formalised their commitment by signing the Murabaha agreement just two days ago,” he said.
Recognizing the critical nature of the situation, he placed a high-priority call to Unicef, which resulted in the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Wednesday. The signing event witnessed the exchange of signed documents between the federal secretary and the country representative of Unicef, solidifying their mutual commitment to eradicating polio.
UNICEF announces new funding to protect 370 million children from polio
Meanwhile, the European Commission, the European Investment Bank, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have unveiled a new financial collaboration for the eradication of polio and the equitable dissemination of health innovations to those who need them most.
The World Health Organization and UNICEF, acting as the implementing partners for polio funding, will allocate these resources to eliminate polio, support the distribution of childhood vaccines, and fortify healthcare systems to better confront emerging health crises.
The anticipated €1.1 billion financing package aims to provide new funding for the eradication of human disease, a feat achieved only once before in history. It also seeks to address the health and development challenges confronting the world’s most vulnerable individuals, who often lack equitable access to healthcare services and innovations.
These funds will cover polio vaccinations for nearly 370 million children annually, provide crucial health services during polio campaigns, including measles vaccines and routine immunizations, and enhance health systems to better anticipate and respond to emerging health threats, similar to how the polio program has responded to COVID-19, Ebola, and other diseases. Presently, wild poliovirus remains endemic in just two countries – Pakistan and Afghanistan – with 80% of variant poliovirus cases concentrated in only four subnational regions.
“We are on the cusp of eradicating polio from the face of the Earth. The European Commission, the EIB, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation are collaborating to reach the final stretch. With €1 billion supported by our European investment strategy Global Gateway, we will invest in stronger global health systems, local vaccine and medicines production, manufacturing, and administration where it’s most needed. Global cooperation has helped us end the COVID-19 pandemic. Now it will help us eliminate polio once and for all,” Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission.
