Alwaleed Bin Talal Foundation & Gates Foundation Join Forces to Eradicate Polio Worldwide

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, April 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Alwaleed Bin Talal Foundation-Global (Registered in Lebanon), chaired by HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud, signed a Memorandum of Collaboration (MOC) in a unique partnership with The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, co-chaired by Mr. Bill Gates to bolster the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.  The Alwaleed Bin Talal Foundation has pledged $30 Million to this critical global effort.

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The MOC was jointly signed by Prince Alwaleed and Mr. Bill Gates. This global commitment is based on a well-defined strategy aimed at reaching a common goal for improving the quality of life for individuals around the world.

Details of the collaboration will be announced as part of The Global Vaccine Summit "Celebrating Progress, Saving Lives" that will take place on April 24^th, 2013 in Abu Dhabi, under the patronage of HH General Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and in partnership with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Mr. Bill Gates and HRH Prince Alwaleed.

Building on recent successes, the Summit will endorse the critical role that vaccines and immunization play in saving lives and protecting children for life. It aims to turn a spotlight on the importance of building and maintaining powerful routine immunization systems to keep all children healthy, no matter where they live.  At the summit, donors, global leaders and partners will demonstrate their support for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative's Eradication and Endgame Strategic Plan 2013-2018, the first comprehensive plan to lay out all the critical elements needed to achieve eradication. Ending polio is an early milestone in the global roadmap to save more than 20 million lives by 2020.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people's health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.

The Alwaleed Bin Talal Foundations are involved in a wide spectrum of humanitarian and philanthropic activities in more than 70 countries. Their main focus areas have been established around strategic initiatives, ranging from Disaster Relief and Community Development, to Women and Youth Empowerment, as well as Promoting Intercultural Understanding. HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal has been involved in philanthropy for more than three decades, both in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and abroad and is committed to supporting humanitarian projects that directly benefit Saudi citizens, as well as citizens around the world.

www.alwaleedfoundations.org

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SOURCE Alwaleed Bin Talal Foundation