Bill Gates at a past Goalkeepers event. The Gates Foundation has pledged US$1.2 billion as part of its long-term commitment to a world “where no mother, baby, or child dies from preventable causes, and where deadly infectious diseases like polio are eliminated forever.”
After a century of progress, the world is on the brink of seeing child deaths rise for the first time in 100 years, global leaders meeting at Goalkeepers Abu Dhabi have warned.
New data from the Gates Foundation’s 2025 Goalkeepers Report shows that the number of children dying before age five is projected to rise for the first time in a century.
Leaders stressed that this turning point demands bold choices, renewed financing, and commitment to scaling innovations that can save millions of lives by 2045.
Their appeal came alongside US$1.9 billion in new commitments to eradicate polio and bolster child survival programmes, announced earlier on Monday during Abu Dhabi Finance Week.
The Gates Foundation pledged US$1.2 billion of the total, underscoring what it described as its long-term commitment to a world “where no mother, baby, or child dies from preventable causes, and where deadly infectious diseases like polio are eliminated forever.”
The pledges were made at an event convened by the Mohamed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity, which co-hosted Goalkeepers Abu Dhabi with the Gates Foundation.
More than 500 leaders from government, philanthropy, civil society and business attended the gathering, held for the first time in the Middle East and North Africa region. Organisers said the expanded reach of Goalkeepers underscores the UAE’s growing role in global child health efforts.
Earlier in the day, countries, foundations and partners announced US$1.9 billion in contributions to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative’s 2022–2029 strategy, including US$1.2 billion in fresh pledges.
The new funding reduces the remaining resource gap to US$440 million. According to organisers, the funds will strengthen health systems, expand immunisation, and accelerate efforts to eliminate polio.
“Far too many children are still dying from diseases we know how to prevent,” said Bill Gates, chair of the Gates Foundation. “The tools exist—vaccines, treatments, and proven delivery strategies—and countries are working hard to get them to those who need them most. The support announced today will strengthen those efforts, protect the most vulnerable children, and help the world stay on course to end polio for good.”
Much of the new financing will support child survival initiatives, including newborn care, vaccine access and protecting immunisation systems in fragile and conflict-affected areas. With polio now 99.9 per cent eradicated, speakers described the final stretch as both an achievable milestone and a test of global solidarity.
“Polio eradication is within reach and today’s generous pledges bring us closer than ever to this goal,” said Her Excellency Dr Shamma Khalifa Al Mazrouei, Acting Director General of the Mohamed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity. “Both Goalkeepers Abu Dhabi and today’s pledging moment underscore what is possible when countries and donors act together: a world free from polio and a healthier, more resilient future for all.”
The event also highlighted the UAE’s longstanding investment in global health. Under President His Highness Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Mohamed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity has supported major global health efforts. His Highness has personally committed more than US$525 million to polio eradication since 2011, helping reach more than 400 million children annually.
This year’s Goalkeepers theme, “Imagine the Possible,” brought together prominent figures including His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, host David Oyelowo, CNN’s Becky Anderson, Reem Al Hashimy, and polio survivor and advocate Ramesh Ferris.
Storytellers and musicians, including a performance by Adekunle Gold, reinforced the event’s central message: despite global funding cuts, progress remains possible when the world acts together.
Goalkeepers is the foundation’s campaign to accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (Global Goals).
