Japan Committee for UNICEF
Eradication of polio on the verge – Vaccine 370 million children in the next five years [Press Release]
$2.6 billion in funding pledged at World Health Summit
[Image 1
A girl receives oral polio vaccine on her way home in Herat. (Afghanistan, May 2022) (C) UNICEF_UN0648278_Bidel
[From Berlin on October 18, 2022]
Today, at a funding pledge at the World Health Summit in Berlin, world leaders committed $2.6 billion to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative’s (GPEI) polio eradication strategy for 2022-2026. Funding was promised.
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[Image 2
4-year-old Gul has a polio vaccination mark on his little fingernail in Karachi. (Pakistan, February 2022) (C) UNICEF_UN0713790_Bukhari The funding will support a global effort to break the last hurdle to polio eradication, immunizing 370 million children each year over the next five years and continuing disease surveillance in 50 countries. support.
Wild poliovirus is currently endemic in only two countries, Pakistan and Afghanistan. However, while only six cases were recorded in 2021, 29 have already been recorded so far this year. These cases include a small number of newly confirmed cases in southeastern Africa with a virus genetically related to a strain from Pakistan. In addition, a mutated poliovirus called cVDPV, which can emerge in areas where not enough people are vaccinated, continues to spread in parts of Africa, Asia and Europe, and in recent months the United States, New cases were detected in Israel and the United Kingdom.
At a time when countries around the world are facing challenges, governments and partners are uniting to make polio the second disease ever to be eradicated, after smallpox, the only human disease to be eradicated. I stepped out to show my determination to work on it. In addition to existing pledges, new funding pledges for the 2022-2026 Strategy this fall include:
UNICEF: US$5 million
Australian Government: A$43.55 million
French government: 50 million euros
German Government: €72 million
Government of Japan: US$11 million
South Korean government: 4.5 billion won
Government of Luxembourg: €1.7 million
U.S. Government: US$114 million
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: US$1.2 billion
Rotary International: US$150 million, etc.
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A baby receives polio vaccine during an immunization campaign in Oromia region. (Ethiopia, taken April 2022) (C) UNICEF_UN0642718_Ayene The Berlin Pledge was the first major fundraising opportunity for the US$4.8 billion needed to fully implement the 2022-2026 Strategy. If the strategy is funded and eradicated, it is estimated to result in an estimated US$33.1 billion in savings in health care costs compared to the total cost to control the outbreak this century. In addition, continued support for GPEI will enable the provision of additional health services and immunizations, in addition to polio vaccine, to underserved communities.
“Children deserve to live in a polio-free world, but as we have learned this year, the threat of polio will not end until every community is vaccinated and every child is vaccinated. Yes,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “UNICEF is grateful for your generous donations and pledges made today to help end polio. Investing in immunizations and health systems will help people around the world It is an investment in a safer, healthier future for In addition to the GPEI funding pledges announced today, a group of more than 3,000 influential scientists, physicians and public health experts from around the world have endorsed the 2022-2026 Strategy and become funders. In response, it issued a declaration calling for continued commitment to eradication and funding for the GPEI. They point to new tactics included in the GPEI’s strategy, such as the continued deployment of the new oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2), and say they are confident in the GPEI’s ability to eradicate polio. With 500 million doses of nOPV2 already administered in 23 countries, field data continue to show its promise as a more durable means of stopping type 2 cVDPV outbreaks. Using the example of GPEI’s support for the response to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), he asserted that support for eradication will strengthen the global immunization system and pandemic preparedness. We urge leaders in endemic and endemic countries to do their part to expand immunization and disease surveillance.
■ Notes
The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) is led by governments and consists of six organizations: Rotary International, World Health Organization (WHO), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), UNICEF, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Gavi Alliance. is a public-private partnership led by
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■ About UNICEF
UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) is a United Nations agency that works to promote the rights and healthy development of all children. Currently, in about 190 countries and regions*, we are cooperating with many partners and translating our philosophy into concrete actions in various ways. We work for all children,
everywhere, with a particular focus on helping the most vulnerable children. UNICEF’s activities are funded entirely by donations from individuals, companies, and organizations, as well as voluntary contributions from governments. https://www.unicef.or.jp/
*Includes 33 countries and regions where UNICEF National Committees (UNICEF Association) are active
■ About Japan Committee for UNICEF
The Japan Committee for UNICEF is one of the UNICEF National Committees in 33 industrialized countries and regions, and is the only private organization in Japan that represents UNICEF. advocacy). https://www.unicef.or.jp/
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