OUTBREAK PREVENTION & PREPAREDNESS FUND HOSTED BY UN FOUNDATION RECEIVES SUPPORT FROM MERCK FOUNDATION

The United Nations Foundation today announced that the Merck Foundation has made a generous contribution to its recently launched Outbreak Prevention and Preparedness Fund, which is designed to reinforce national immunization systems and enable countries to better prevent, detect, and respond to outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases.

“We are at a crucial moment in the fight to end vaccine-preventable diseases,” said Dr. Ahmed Ogwell, Vice President of Global Health Strategy at the UN Foundation. “In recent years, global immunization levels have dropped, and as a result, numerous countries are facing outbreaks of easily preventable — yet highly dangerous — diseases such as measles. The UN Foundation’s Outbreak Prevention and Preparedness Fund is an exciting new opportunity for private and public partners to contribute directly to life-saving work in countries affected by disease outbreaks. We are thankful to the Merck Foundation and other partners for their support.” 

The UN Foundation has set an ambitious goal of raising $15 million for the fund over the next two years through a diverse donor base. In addition to the Merck Foundation, current donors include the American Red Cross and Shot@Life. Collectively, the three organizations have helped the UN Foundation reach the halfway mark in its fundraising goal. 

More information about the new fund can be found here or by reaching out through email to OutbreakFund@unfoundation.org.

About The UN Foundation
For over 25 years, the UN Foundation has built novel innovations and partnerships to support the United Nations and help solve global problems at scale. As an independent charitable organization, the Foundation was created to work closely with the United Nations to address humanity’s greatest challenges and drive global progress. Learn more at  www.unfoundation.org.