France pledges $55m to fight polio in Pakistan.

ISLAMABAD -- The French Development Agency (AFD) has joined global polio eradication partners with its commitment to filling the funding gap of Pakistan government in its efforts to eradicate polio.

According to a statement issued by the health ministry on Sunday, a delegation of the AFD and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation met the special health secretary and visited the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) for Polio EradAication.

The meetings were part of the delegation's week-long visit to Pakistan to help support the country in areas of health and social protection.

During a briefing at the NEOC, the AFD committed to supporting the government's Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) in immunisation activities, disease surveillance, polio campaign monitoring and other technical areas, and filling the funding gap of $55 million (under the PC-1 for polio eradication, 2022-26) that the programme needed.

The AFD delegation was headed by Agnes Soucat, Director of Health and Social Protection, while the Gates Foundation delegation was led by Jay Wegner, Global Head for Polio Eradication.

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