October 24, 2014

The Rotary Foundation

Dear Friends:

Today, as we mark World Polio Day, I commend Rotarians for your efforts to eradicate Polio. I was deeply humbled to accept the Rotary Foundation Polio Eradication Champion Award in Toronto on October 18, and extend my personal thanks for this special honour.

I have a great deal of admiration and respect for the good works carried out by Rotarians in Canada, and around the globe. Your organization has made extraordinary contributions to a diverse range of humanitarian services – championing the eradication of polio chief among them. Your members make a positive difference in communities around the globe.

Canadians have been proud to work with partners, such as Rotary, to eradicate polio. Since 2006, Canada has disbursed $297 million to support polio eradication efforts, namely through the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI). Canada's support to the GPEI has contributed to the immunization of millions of children around the globe. We will continue to work with our partners to help put an end to this devastating childhood disease which can be prevented with a simple vaccine.

Once again, thank you for bestowing the Rotary Foundation Polio Eradication Champion Award on me. More importantly, thank you for leading global efforts to end polio. I offer my best wishes to the Rotary Foundation for continued success in your laudable endeavours.

Sincerely,

The Rt. Hon. Stephen Harper, P.C., M.P.

Prime Minister of Canada

ROTARY SUPPORTS WHO – POLIO EMERGENCY CALL

Dear Rotary Leaders,

The World Health Organization has announced the outcomes of the Emergency Committee meeting on polio, which was convened in Geneva last week.  The committee concluded that the recent international spread of polio constitutes a “public health emergency of international concern” and issued recommendations to prevent further international spread of the virus.

Details on the decision and resulting recommendations are described in this statement issued by WHO.

As you probably are aware by now, the WHO statement is receiving considerable coverage in the international press. And, as is often the case, the tone of this coverage is at times overly negative, even alarmist.

What some in the media are missing is the fact that the new WHO recommendations are a positive development intended to protect and safeguard the tremendous progress achieved since the launch of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. This set of recommendations should be considered as another new tool in our, the partners’, polio eradication toolkit and another example of how the partnership responds effectively and appropriately to emerging challenges. The recent outbreaks indeed do present a serious challenge, but one that requires a carefully developed countermeasure, which the new recommendations represent.

We also welcome the WHO statement because it draws much-needed attention to the polio eradication effort and the importance of stopping the transmission of the wild poliovirus everywhere, especially in the endemic countries, which will eliminate future “imported” outbreaks and carry us to our goal of a polio-free world.

With that as the context, below please find Rotary’s response to the WHO statement.

Rotary supports the WHO Director-General’s recommendations that describe polio as a public health emergency of international concern, including the request that countries that are actively exporting the wild poliovirus (and all polio-endemic countries) ensure that all of their residents and long-term travelers are immunized against the disease before travel.

This is a positive step needed to safeguard the remarkable progress the world has made toward ending polio forever, because we know that outbreaks will continue to occur until we can stop polio at the source: the remaining endemic countries.

With our partners, as well as health ministries, governments, and others, Rotary remains committed to a polio-free world.

Robert S. Scott
Chair, International PolioPlus Committee

Rotary International

"March 1st marks the first anniversary of the conclusion of the very successful Pennies for Polio Campaign in which Canadian Rotarians raised more than $2.2 million dollars for the global initiative to End Polio. The Government of Canada matched those funds as did the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation so that together approximately $ 7 million (Cdn) was contributed to this important global health initiative.

In the 10 months between March 1st  and Dec 31, 2013, Canadian Rotarians raised a further $1.6 million (cdn) in their continuing campaign to eradicate Polio. In addition, the Government of Canada extended its commitment  with a new pledge of $243.5 million dollars (US). The Government of Canada's new commitment came at a crucial time as Rotary and its partners are in the final phase of their polio eradication efforts. Rotarians in Canada and around the world welcomed the Government of Canada' s steadfast  and continuing support. Together, Rotary, the private sector, governments and UN and state agencies will succeed and rid the world of Polio.

In addition, Rotary in Canada, which has a long history of working with the Government of Canada on other humanitarian projects through their relationship with CIDA  is working with the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD) to establish a new working relationship to support future international projects. It is hoped a new arrangement can be established shortly."

RID Bryn Styles,
Zone 24

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