Saudi Arabia has reaffirmed its $500 million pledge to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), the World Health Organization said on Monday.
The funds, initially pledged in April 2024, will be disbursed to help end the wild form of polio in Pakistan and Afghanistan and stop outbreaks of variant polio.
Wild polio — a naturally occurring form of the viral disease — is endemic in Pakistan and Afghanistan, which together reported 99 cases last year, according to the WHO. Variant polio is caused by the weakening of the oral polio vaccine.
The GPEI hopes to declare an end to the wild virus and the vaccine-derived variant by 2027 and 2029, respectively, compared with a previous deadline of 2026 for both forms.
The US, which has announced its intention to withdraw from the WHO, was previously a major donor to a program to eliminate polio and contributed 17 percent of its budget during 2024-2025, the WHO data showed.
Saudi Arabia reaffirms $500 million pledge for polio eradication in Pakistan, Afghanistan
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Saudi Arabia reaffirms $500 million pledge for polio eradication in Pakistan, Afghanistan
- Contagious disease is endemic in Pakistan and Afghanistan, which together reported 99 cases last year
- GPEI hopes to declare an end to wild virus and vaccine-derived variant by 2027 and 2029 respectively
Sharif departs for Austria on first official visit by Pakistani PM in over 30 years
- Shehbaz Sharif leads high-level delegation to Austria on two-day visit, says Pakistan’s foreign office
- Sharif to meet Austrian counterpart, chair Pakistan–Austria Business Forum meeting during visit
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif departed for Vienna on Sunday for a two-day visit to review bilateral ties, his office said in a statement, marking the first official visit by a Pakistani premier to the country in over three decades.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry spokesperson said that Sharif is undertaking the visit at Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker’s invitation. Sharif will lead a high-level delegation comprising the deputy premier and information minister from the Feb. 15-16 visit.
The foreign office said Sharif’s visit marks 70 years since diplomatic relations between Pakistan and Austria were established.
“This visit by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to Vienna marks the first visit by a Pakistani Prime Minister to Austria in over three decades, the last having been undertaken by the then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in 1992,” the statement said.
Sharif will hold bilateral talks with his Austrian counterpart, during which the two leaders will take stock of the entire gamut of bilateral relations.
“The prime minister will also chair a meeting of the Pakistan–Austria Business Forum, which is being organized by the Austrian Economic Chamber (WKO),” the foreign office said. “He will also visit multilateral organizations.”
According to Pakistan’s foreign ministry, Islamabad and Vienna enjoy cooperation in the domains of trade, economy, culture and education.
It said Sharif’s visit to Vienna will establish new dimensions to the Pakistan-Austria relations.
