Public Health · Infectious Disease · Nephrology · 7 h ago
Saudi Arabia and WHO sign funding agreements for polio and humanitarian health
WHO and Saudi Arabia announced funding agreements supporting malaria and cholera services in Yemen and dialysis for Sudanese refugees in Egypt. Saudi Arabia also formalized a previously announced US$500 million commitment to global polio eradication through agreements with WHO and UNICEF.
- Yemen agreements allocate US$12 million for malaria and US$2.1 million for cholera.
- US$3.6 million will support dialysis for Sudanese refugees in Egypt.
- Polio agreements formalize Saudi Arabia’s previously announced US$500 million pledge.
WHO and the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) signed agreements addressing health needs in crisis-affected populations at the Riyadh International Humanitarian Forum, held on 24–25 February 2025. The agreements cover malaria prevention and control and cholera treatment in Yemen, alongside dialysis treatment for Sudanese refugees in Egypt.
Funding includes US$12 million for malaria control and US$2.1 million to expand cholera treatment in Yemen. A separate US$3.6 million agreement between KSrelief and the WHO Egypt Country Office will support dialysis for Sudanese refugees displaced by the ongoing conflict.
Saudi Arabia also reaffirmed its US$500 million pledge to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, originally announced in April 2024. Funding agreements allocate US$300 million to WHO and US$200 million to UNICEF. The contribution will support efforts to vaccinate 370 million children annually, with global eradication as the goal.
These commitments target infectious disease prevention and access to essential treatment in humanitarian settings. The WHO announcement describes funding commitments and intended activities, rather than measured health outcomes; it does not provide implementation timelines or estimates of how many patients will receive cholera treatment or dialysis.
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WHO – News: WHO and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia sign agreements in support of health priorities ↗This is an automated AI-condensed summary that has not yet been reviewed by an editor. Always consult the full item at the original source.