Financial Resource Requirements 2012-2013
The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) is financed by governments, private foundations, development banks, humanitarian organizations, nongovernmental organizations and corporate partners. The
GPEI's Financial Resource Requirements (FRR) are updated quarterly, based on the prevailing epidemiological and financial situation. Programmatic and financial scenarios for the Polio Endgame (i.e. for 2014-2018) will be presented in an upcoming edition of the FRR.
Between 1988 and 2013, donors will have invested over US$ 9.5 billion in polio eradication. To finally rid the world of polio, increased financial support is urgently needed from the international donor community and national governments. Insufficient funds at this stage will jeopardize the entire eradication effort. In a continuing trend, the largest funding sources are not from the international public-sector development community, but from domestic contributions (accounting for 19% of contributions) and private contributions (accounting for 14% of confirmed contributions).
The 2012-2013 budget estimate for core costs, planned supplementary immunization activities and emergency response is US$ 2.23 billion, against which there is a funding gap of US$ 1.09 billion (US$ 405 million for 2012). The Initiative is tracking US$ 258 million in firm prospects, which if fully operationalized would reduce the overall funding gap to US$ 832 million. The most pressing requirement is for flexible funding for surveillance, technical assistance, social mobilization and oral polio vaccine.
Failure to meet the financial requirements of eradication has human consequences, in terms of children paralysed for life by a disease which is entirely vaccine-preventable, as well as the economic consequences of ongoing supplementary immunization in perpetuity in order to maintain the current number of cases. But most compelling are the ethical consequences: failing to protect future generations when the tools are available to do so. Success on the other hand will mean that the world will reap significant financial benefits, estimated to reach US$ 40-50 billion by 2035. More importantly, success will mean that no child will ever again be paralysed by polio-paralysis.
Contributions and Pledges to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, 1985-2014
Key to overcoming challenges in securing the required resources will not only be epidemiological progress, but also full exploitation of the new Global Partners' Group, which is being constituted to foster greater engagement in polio eradication across the donor, polio-affected country and partnership landscape.