Billionaire Bill Gates will join world leaders and major donors at Abu Dhabi Finance Week (ADFW), which opens on December 8, with a landmark polio pledging event expected to secure significant new commitments for global eradication efforts, according to a statement released Thursday.
Polio funding
The event will culminate in a major pledging moment for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), the multinational public private partnership leading the final push to eliminate polio worldwide.
Commitments announced in Abu Dhabi are expected to play a critical role in closing the remaining financing gap needed to support immunization campaigns, disease surveillance and outbreak response in the few regions where polio remains endemic.
Gates, chair of the Gates Foundation, will participate in a day one session titled “Investing in Humanity: Unlocking Private Capital for Global Progress,” convened by the Mohamed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity. The discussion will examine how innovative financing models and cross sector partnerships can accelerate solutions to global challenges, from disease eradication to sustainable development.
Shamma Khalifa Al Mazrouei, acting director general of the Mohamed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity, will deliver the keynote address, alongside senior leaders from government, philanthropy and international institutions.
Global leadership
The session marks a notable addition to the growing influence of ADFW, hosted by Abu Dhabi Global Market with ADQ as headline partner. The event, which runs through December 11, will convene CEOs, chairpersons, presidents and founders from leading financial institutions, investment firms and global markets.
The opening day pledging moment underscores the UAE’s expanding role in humanitarian finance, leveraging its financial ecosystem to address some of the world’s most pressing health and development challenges.
