Japan has announced a new grant of US$4.3 million to support Pakistan's polio eradication programme, funding the purchase of more than 28 million doses of oral polio vaccine for immunisation campaigns planned in 2027.

The announcement was made in Islamabad on Friday, 13 November 2026, by the Government of Japan and UNICEF. The Pakistan Polio Eradication Initiative will use the money to buy the vaccines and deliver them through its nationwide campaigns.

Pakistan is one of only two countries in the world where wild poliovirus transmission has not yet been interrupted. The programme has made steady progress in cutting case numbers, with cases falling from 74 in 2024 to 31 in 2025, and eight cases reported so far in 2026.

Six of the eight cases recorded this year have come from south Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where insecurity and problems reaching every child continue to hamper vaccination work, according to UNICEF.

Target to stop transmission by end of 2027

The Government of Pakistan, working with its partners, has drawn up a National Emergency Action Plan for 2026-27 under its Roadmap to Zero, which sets out a focused approach to interrupting poliovirus transmission by the end of 2027.

Each national immunisation drive aims to reach more than 45 million children under the age of five, supported by over 400,000 frontline health workers who go door to door in communities across the country.

Ayesha Raza Farooq, the Prime Minister's Focal Person on Polio Eradication, said the Japanese contribution had come at a critical time. "Every dose of vaccine supported through Japan's contribution brings us closer to a polio-free Pakistan," she said. "We are grateful to the Government and people of Japan for their continued commitment and partnership."

Akamatsu Shuichi, Japan's ambassador to Pakistan, said the grant, which has been increased from last year, showed Tokyo's continued support for the shared goal of a polio-free Pakistan. He added that Japan fully supported Pakistan's determination to interrupt transmission by the end of 2027.

Three decades of Japanese support

Japan has supported Pakistan's polio eradication efforts since 1996, working closely with UNICEF and other partners. In that time it has contributed more than US$248 million in grants and loans through UNICEF to support vaccination and help Pakistan work towards a polio-free future.

Yusuke Shinozaki, chief representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency's Pakistan office, praised the commitment of the Government of Pakistan and the frontline health workers who continue to serve communities under challenging circumstances.

Pernille Ironside, UNICEF's representative in Pakistan, said Japan had been a steadfast partner and that the contribution would help sustain the high-quality vaccination campaigns needed to interrupt transmission.

The announcement comes in a week when polio teams have again faced violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Two police officers protecting vaccination teams were shot dead by gunmen on a motorcycle earlier in the week, a day after four officers guarding polio workers were kidnapped, Al Jazeera reported. Health workers and their security escorts remain a regular target of attacks in the province, where vaccination drives continue despite the risks.

UNICEF said the new funding would provide critical support for the procurement and delivery of vaccines, helping to sustain the gains of recent years and keep the programme on course to end poliovirus transmission.