DAVOS-KLOSTERS, Switzerland — Alwaleed Philanthropies, chaired by Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, the global philanthropic foundation, received recognition at the 50th World Economic Forum (WEF) held in Davos for its commitment to eradicating preventable diseases.

The award was presented following Gavi’s annual public-private partnership breakfast on the sidelines of the WEF and comes as Alwaleed Philanthropies marks its 40th anniversary.

The award was received by Princess Lamia Bint Majed Saud Al Saud, general secretary of Alwaleed Philanthropies, who also spoke at Gavi’s annual public-private partnership breakfast on the organization’s commitment to ensure that every child is immunized with basic life-saving vaccines no matter where they live in the world.

Last year Alwaleed Philanthropies made a fresh commitment to preventing the spread of vaccine-preventable diseases by investing a further $5 million in its partnership with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

The commitment will provide extra funding between 2020 and 2024 to support organizations identified by Gavi as ‘pacesetters’ that are developing new innovations to improve vaccine access and delivery, particularly in urban areas.

The foundation is providing the funding through Gavi’s INFUSE initiative (Innovation for Uptake, Scale and Equity in Immunisation), which identifies these ‘pacesetters’, provides funding and support for them, and connects them to authorities in countries that need vaccination support.

By 2050 nearly 70% of the world’s population will live in urban settings. The rapid growth will add nearly 2.5 billion people to urban areas, with 90% of the expansion occurring in Asia and Africa. These large, highly populated urban settings with mobile, transient and under-immunised populations lend themselves to an increased risk of disease transmission and outbreaks.

Princess Lamia said: “Alwaleed Philanthropies has a 40-year history of supporting development and humanitarian initiatives that lift up the most vulnerable people and bridge the gaps that divide society.

“One of those gaps is disease. In a world where we have vaccines to many of the of the world’s most debilitating illnesses, there is still millions of people, particularly children, that are plagued by these preventable diseases because of a lack of access.

“On behalf of Alwaleed Philanthropies, I would like to thank Gavi and Dr. Seth Berkley for the award and for being such outstanding partners to work with. Since our first work with Gavi in 2015 we have been able to deliver great success across a number of projects.

This comes at a crucial time with just a decade to go before the 2030 deadline of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). There is a lot of work to be done over the next ten years that will require strong and decisive collaboration across organizations around the world.”

“Alwaleed Philanthropies has been a committed supporter of our mission to ensure no child goes without lifesaving vaccines,” said Dr. Seth, CEO of Gavi. “I would like to congratulate Alwaleed Philanthropies on their 40th Anniversary and thank Princess Lamia Bint Majid Al-Saud for continuously supporting Gavi. The Alliance’s successes would not be possible without partnerships with organizations like Alwaleed Philanthropies.” — SG