Alwaleed Foundation Supports Global Vaccine Summit

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, April 29, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Alwaleed Bin Talal Foundation-Global (Registered in Lebanon) that is chaired by HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud, supported the first Global Vaccine Summit in Abu Dhabi, April 24-25, 2013, which was held in partnership with HH General Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed 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 and Mr. Bill Gates.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130429/NY03535)

Alwaleed Bin Talal Foundation-Global had recently 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. Alwaleed Bin Talal Foundation pledged $30 Million to that effort.

The summit was attended by HRH Prince Alwaleed along with global leaders, health and development experts, philanthropists, and business leaders.

Prince Alwaleed acknowledged the unique partnership between the Alwaleed Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with the aim of ending polio through the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. HRH emphasized the humanity and nobility of this cause that should be supported by all. HRH also stated that he will be supporting the Gates Foundation in reaching countries where challenges and opposing views of vaccination remain.

During the Summit, Mr. Gates endorsed 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.

Mr. Gates acknowledged the role of the donors, global leaders and partners who have demonstrated their support for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative and Endgame Strategic Plan 2013-2018, the first comprehensive plan to lay out all the critical elements needed to achieve eradication. Ending polio is a milestone in the global roadmap to save more than 20 million lives by 2020.

Mr. Gates added: "We are thrilled that along with Prince Alwaleed, we have Michael Bloomberg, and Carlos Slim from Mexico, Carl Icahn, and major philanthropists who have joined us."

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.

Contact:
Alwaleed Bin Talal Foundation
966 1 488 1111
media@alwaleedfoundations.org
www.alwaleedfoundations.org  
@AlwaleedFoundns  

SOURCE Alwaleed Bin Talal Foundation