The World Bank, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and UNICEF have pledged $590 million in new funding toward efforts to eliminate cervical cancer, which kills thousands of women worldwide annually and disproportionately affects those living in the global south. Indonesia and several African countries also vowed to do more to help women access vaccines and treatments.
The announcement Tuesday was made at the kickoff of the inaugural Global Cervical Cancer Elimination Forum in Cartagena, Colombia. The event aims to draw more government, donor, and civil society support for the World Health Organization’s Global Strategy for Cervical Cancer Elimination, which puts forth a plan for eradicating the disease through vaccination, screening and treatment.
As part of the strategy to rapidly increase vaccinations, WHO has recommended a single-dose HPV vaccine schedule for girls rather than a two-dose regimen.
About the author
Stephanie Beasley@Steph_Beasley
Stephanie Beasley is a Senior Reporter at Devex, where she covers global philanthropy with a focus on regulations and policy. She is an alumna of the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism and Oberlin College and has a background in Latin American studies. She previously covered transportation security at POLITICO.
