Mohamed bin Zayed donates $30 million to support polio eradication efforts

His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, made a personal donation of $30 million to support global efforts to eradicate polio.
The donation, made to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), was announced in Atlanta at the Rotary Convention, which was attended by Yousef Al Otaiba, the UAE’s Ambassador to the United States. The convention was also attended by representatives of several governments, private sector donors and health workers.
The donation supports GPEI’s crucial activities such as vaccination and disease monitoring, which will protect more than 450 million children from polio each year. His Highness contribution to the initiative is part of the UAE’s continued collaboration with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which provides humanitarian and healthcare services to millions of people around the globe.
Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba said: "The United Arab Emirates is proud to be at the forefront of the global efforts to eradicate polio. We look forward to a future where every child and every country in the world will reap the full economic and health benefits of eradicating polio."
In 2013, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed donated $120 million (440 million dirhams) to support global efforts to eradicate polio by 2018, with a special focus on Pakistan and Afghanistan. In 2011, His Highness and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation contributed $50 million each to procure and deliver vital polio vaccinations to Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Source: WAM