Pakistan and Germany signed a financing pact on polio eradication on Friday. Economic Affairs Division Secretary Nur Ahmed and country director of Germany’s government-owned development bank KfW Germany Wolfgang Muler signed Financing Agreement for Polio Eradication Phase II worth five million euros. The agreement envisages to exclusively finance polio vaccines as well as vaccination campaigns to strengthen measures for the implementation of Pakistan’s 2018-2019 National Polio Emergency Action Plan. The programme is to be executed by the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund and World Health Organisation and is in continuation of Polio Eradication Programme Phase I. The National Task Force for Polio Eradication headed by Prime Minister Imran Khan has led to marked reduction in the numbers of polio cases from 306 in 2014 to 54 in 2015, 20 in 2016, eight in 2017 and only four in 2018. The Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation & Coordination is hoping to eradicate the menace of polio from Pakistan until the year 2020. Published in Daily Times, December 15th 2018.