Sheikh Mohammed donates more than Dh18m towards global vaccine initiative

The Crown Prince donated Dh121.2 million to the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation between 2011 to 2015

Millions of children have received vaccines, including against polio, pictured, in the schemes run by the UAE. Credit / WAM
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Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed committed Dh18.4 million to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to support a major initiative aimed at protecting children's lives in the developing world.

The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces also donated Dh121.2 million to the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation between 2011 to 2015.

Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation, said: "The UAE is an integral part of the work and initiatives that seek the best for humanity, highlighting the follow-up of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed to strengthen partnership with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance to support its mission of saving children’s lives and protecting people’s health through immunisation."

"We believe that INFUSE innovations can make a real difference to developing countries and look forward to contributing to their growth to make sure that every child is protected with life-saving vaccines," the minister said.

"The Vaccine Alliance plays a pivotal role in encouraging innovation in immunisation and health system strengthening," said Dr Seth Berkley, chief executive of Gavi.

"We are very grateful to the UAE and, in particular, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, for this contribution. Thanks to support from partners like the UAE, we will achieve our goal of reaching 300 million more children with life-saving vaccines by 2020," he said.

With immunisation systems in developing countries often reliant on technologies that have not been updated in years, INFUSE seeks private sector innovations with proven potential to improve vaccine delivery.