KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) has pledged $500 million to help end wild polio in Afghanistan and Pakistan and prevent outbreaks of variant polio.
The commitment, announced by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), was formalized during the fourth Riyadh International Humanitarian Forum on Monday.
The funding aims to provide polio vaccines to 370 million children annually and stop the transmission of the virus forever.
“The world is on the path to eradicating polio once and for all, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is proud to be part of this global initiative,” said Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah, Supervisor General of KSrelief. “The Kingdom’s contribution will go toward the important work of protecting the most vulnerable children today so that future generations can live free from this preventable disease,” he added.
Polio remains endemic in only two countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan, where years of conflict and misinformation have hindered eradication efforts. According to GPEI, polio resurfaced in Gaza, a Palestinian territory, last year after 25 years, paralyzing a child and underscoring the ongoing global risk.
World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called Saudi Arabia’s pledge a critical step in eliminating the disease.
“We have come so far in our shared mission to consign polio to history, but the last mile is the hardest,” Tedros said. “Finishing the job requires unwavering determination, and this contribution from Saudi Arabia will help reach more children in conflict-affected areas,” he added.
Bill Gates, chair of the Gates Foundation, also praised the pledge, calling it a significant step toward achieving a “polio-free world.”
The funding comes as Afghanistan and Pakistan continue to report new polio cases.
In 2024, Afghanistan has reported 12 polio cases, most of them in the southern province of Kandahar. Last week, a five-year-old girl in Badghis province was confirmed to have contracted the virus.
Pakistan recorded 73 polio cases last year, mainly in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, with three new cases reported so far in 2025.
Efforts to vaccinate children in both countries continue to face significant challenges. Misinformation and conspiracy theories falsely linking polio vaccines to infertility or espionage have fueled resistance in some communities.
In Afghanistan, the Taliban, which has historically restricted polio vaccination campaigns and targeted vaccinators—especially in the country’s south—is now facing mounting challenges in containing the disease.
