Jeddah, KSA, 28.04.2013 – “The IDB Group is committed to upgrading healthcare services for the development of the people of its member countries in particular and mankind in general”, stated Dr Ahmad Mohamed Ali, IDB Group Chairman, at the Global Vaccine Summit held in Abu Dhabi last week in the presence of UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon and Co-chair of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill Gates, as well as high ranking officials from the health sector in Asia, Africa and Europe and heads of
regional and international health institutes.
The two-day event, under the patronage of HRH Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, focused on renewing the global commitment to eliminate polio virus by the year 2018, and issued a global statement on the significance of vaccination and immunization. The meeting discussed ways and means of cooperation amongst governments, communities and private institutions to develop sustainable vaccination programs to actively ensure children’s health in the long run.
In his speech, the IDB Group Chairman further referred to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in September 2012 with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, as part of the efforts to eradicate polio. Implementation of the MOU has allowed Pakistan to benefit from an important financing package of US$ 227 million from IDB towards eradicating polio, with the Foundation covering the cost of the financing to make it particularly concessionary.
The IDB attaches great significance to supporting the health sector in its member countries, which is also one of the main strategic objectives stipulated in its Vision 2020. The Bank has so far allocated more than US$ 2.1 billion to the sector.