VALLETTA, Malta, November 28, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --
Representing civil society and Global Polio Eradication
Initiative partners, Rotary International President K. R. Ravindran joined UN Secretary General
Ban Ki-moon and heads of government
from Commonwealth member states in commitment to ending polio, a
paralyzing disease on the brink of global eradication. The event
was hosted by Malta's Prime
Minister and CHOGM Chair Joseph
Muscat.
Muscat hosted the event to recognize collective progress and the
need for continued global commitment. Leaders acknowledged the
significant progress made since 2011, when Commonwealth leaders
last discussed polio. India and
all of Southeast Asia were
certified free from polio in 2014. Earlier this year, Nigeria and Africa passed a year without a case of wild
polio. Pakistan and Afghanistan are currently the only countries
in the world with endemic polio virus transmission.
Ravindran emphasized the need for continued global focus. "We
are playing for stakes that are incredibly high, and our target is
microscopically small. Until we find every last poliovirus, and
vaccinate every last child, our immunization, surveillance,
monitoring, staffing, and infrastructure must be robustly
maintained."
The Commonwealth's work toward polio eradication is highly
symbolic of the 2015 CHOGM's theme of Adding Global Value,
which aspires to leverage the strengths of the Commonwealth to make
a substantive difference to the lives of people around the
world.
An estimated €1.4 billion is needed to immunize children in
countries which at risk for polio outbreaks, primarily in
Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Leaders attending the summit called for continued political and
financial commitment. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon emphasized the need for support to
go beyond governments, including all sectors and civil society. He
recognized the unique contribution of Rotary volunteers in the
global effort.
Ravindran welcomed the news of continued support noting that
"Eliminating a disease completely is the ultimate in sustainable
development: a limited investment that yields infinite
returns."
Rotary made polio eradication its top philanthropic goal in
1985. As the volunteer arm of the Global Polio Eradication
Initiative, Rotary has contributed more than €1.4 billion to ending
polio. To date, more than 2.5 billion children have been immunized
against the paralyzing and sometimes deadly poliovirus.
Visit rotary.org and endpolio.org for more about Rotary and its
efforts to eradicate polio. Video and still images will be
available on The NewsMarket.