UNICEF and Rotary renew polio partnership
Tim Ledwith, UNICEF
© UNICEF/NYHQ2010-1702/Markisz
UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake speaks at the second regular session of the 2010 UNICEF Executive Board.
NEW YORK (September 11, 2010) – The UNICEF Executive Board has approved the extension of a global partnership with Rotary International that has helped the world move dramatically closer to eradicating the scourge of polio.
The polio-eradication partnership with Rotary International, formally established in 1990, was extended for another five years, through 2015.
Long-standing partnership
"I do believe this is the easiest of the decisions the Board will be making," said UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake, who lauded Rotary for its enduring commitment to the fight against the paralyzing and sometimes fatal childhood disease. The Executive Board met last week at UN Headquarters.
Mr. Lake pointed out that over a million Rotarians have volunteered their time to raise more than $900 million for polio eradication during the past quarter century.
"Rotary International deeply values the longstanding relationship with UNICEF," said Carl-Wilhelm Stenhammar, Chair of the Rotary Foundation Trustees, who represented the service organization at the Executive Board meeting. "Working together, we have succeeded in reducing the number of children affected by polio by more than 99%," he noted, adding that Rotary would continue its work with UNICEF “to ensure that we reach every child and conquer polio once and for all."
In a related development, the Executive Board approved the extension of the Vaccine Independence Initiative, a multi-million-dollar revolving fund that helps cash-strapped governments obtain essential vaccines.
Polio resurgence
© UNICEF/NYHQ2010-1702/Markisz
Delegates from the United States of America at the second regular session of the 2010 UNICEF Executive Board.
During the meeting, UNICEF Regional Director Steven Allen briefed delegates on the recent resurgence of polio in his region, Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States, specifically, Tajikistan – which previously had been declared polio-free. He called for additional funding "to strengthen immunization systems and ensure that the region regains and then maintains its polio-free status."
Polio is also a concern for UNICEF as it works to reduce the risks of disease outbreaks in the camps for families displaced by flooding in Pakistan, one of the last 4 countries where polio is still endemic.
Partners for polio eradication
The partnership between UNICEF and Rotary was formally established in 1990, but Rotarians' dedication to a polio-free world predates even that milestone. Through its PolioPlus program, established in 1985, Rotary has supported UNICEF's procurement of millions of doses of polio vaccine and the 'cold-chain' equipment needed to preserve it during immunization campaigns.
The Global Polio Eradication Initiative – led by Rotary, UNICEF, the World Health Organization and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – has made impressive gains. In 1988, over 125 countries were considered endemic for the disease, with an estimated 350,000 children paralyzed each year. In 2009, about 1,600 cases were reported worldwide, and today just four nations remain endemic for the polio virus.
"We are at a historic moment," said Executive Director Lake, referring to the final push for polio eradication despite recent setbacks. "We are absolutely committed to this goal."
