Rotary International President Jennifer Jones announces $150 million for polio eradication



Rotary International President Jennifer Jones appeared on stage at the Global Citizen Festival on September 24 to highlight Rotary’s commitment to polio eradication and announce an additional $150 million for the purpose.

Ms Jones, who spoke to 60,000 people in New York and tens of thousands more online and on TV, recalled the state of emergency that the Governor of New York State recently declared. declared to combat a resurgence of polio in the region.

Rotary President Jennifer Jones announces Rotary’s pledge to raise $150 million for polio eradication efforts Sept. 24 at the 2022 Global Citizen Festival in New York City.

Photo: David Alexander


She pointed out that polio is preventable with vaccines and that wild poliovirus is now only endemic in two countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Moreover, although vaccinators are essential for establishing relationships with mothers and vaccinating children in these areas, they can sometimes be victims of harassment or even assault.

In Pakistan, “female health workers put themselves at risk every day in the field,” she said. They undertake, despite the obstacles, to vaccinate every last child against polio. The vaccination program works with the police and local authorities to ensure their safety.

Ms. Jones also spoke about the disruption that COVID-19 has caused to polio vaccination in some countries. She pointed out that in 2021, around 25 million children were deprived of essential vaccinations. “The world has pushed back this disease significantly, but we need to redouble our efforts,” she added.

The additional funds announced by Ms. Jones will be allocated to theGlobal Polio Eradication Initiative (IMEP), which said in August that it was seeking new financial commitments for its Polio Eradication Strategy 2022-2026. “We want this to be the start of a massive effort to reach the initiative’s $4.8 billion funding goal,” she said.

Rotary members have been at the heart of the global polio eradication effort for more than three decades. Rotary launched PolioPlus in 1985 and helped found the GPEI in 1988, when there were an estimated 350,000 polio cases annually in more than 125 countries. Since then, the number of cases has dropped by more than 99.9%, sparing more than 20 million people from paralysis. Rotary has helped vaccinate nearly 3 billion children against polio, raise more than $2.5 billion for global polio eradication efforts, and leverage more than $10 billion from donor governments of funds.

the Global Citizen Festival, an annual concert, urges world leaders to end extreme poverty, take action on climate change, empower girls and women, and remove systemic barriers. This year’s Global Citizen Festival, which took place in New York and Accra, Ghana, called for investing $600 million in the future of women and girls, closing the $10 billion gap related to climate change and to provide $500 million to help African farmers respond to the global food crisis.

The New York concert, hosted by actress and Global Citizen Ambassador Priyanka Chopra Jonas, featured performances from Metallica, Charlie Puth, Jonas Brothers, Måneskin Mariah Carey, Mickey Guyton, Rosalía, Angelique Kidjo and Billy Porter. Among the presenters were celebrities like Amber Ruffin, Bill Nye, Connie Britton, Katie Couric, Tamron Hall or Katie Holmes.

Global Citizen claims that since its first gig in 2012, more than $41 billion has been distributed and impacted the lives of more than 1.1 billion people.

Jennifer Jones called for greater involvement: “Citizens of the world, use your voice — help us call on governments, businesses and other leaders to join us in committing ambitiously at the World Summit on health in October to end polio forever. »

Rotary has worked with Global Citizen for more than ten years, primarily in the polio eradication effort. At last year’s event in Paris, Jennifer Jones announced a $97 million funding pledge for sustainable actions. At the 2012 concert in New York, Rotary General Secretary and CEO John Hewko announced Rotary’s $75 million commitment to polio eradication. Rotary and Global Citizen have also collaborated at Rotary conventions, Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings, polio awareness events and funding announcements for polio eradication.

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Rotary International President Jennifer Jones announces $150 million for polio eradication