Support to eradicate polio | Ministers and Assistant Ministers
Australia will provide $43.55 million over five years to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI).
This funding will support the Initiative’s Polio Eradication Strategy 2022-2026 and will be committed at an international pledging event tonight.
While a polio-free world is in sight, the job is not yet done and progress is fragile.
Polio is endemic in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and cases have recently appeared in southeast Africa. Vaccine-derived polio has been detected in New York, London and Jerusalem.
Australia’s investment will procure vaccines, strengthen surveillance, mount immunisation campaigns, and integrate polio activities into routine immunisation systems.
The Australian Government’s contribution is a 10 per cent increase on the previous funding cycle and incorporates a $2.3 million contribution on behalf of Australian Rotary Clubs across Australia.
I thank Australian Rotary Clubs and Rotarians for their longstanding dedication to polio eradication.
Australia is a longstanding partner in the fight against polio. This announcement brings Australia’s total funding for GPEI to over $155 million since 2011.