The Government of Canada reached a major milestone in its support of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) -- started by Rotary International in 1986 -- with a $151 million contribution to the Initiative in September 2024 . This contribution brings the total funding by the Canadian Government, contributed over time to the campaign, to $1 billion. The GPEI’s aim is to immunize 370 million children a year against polio.
article published in Rotary Canada Magazine January 2025 "
© 2025 by Rotary International
© 2025 by Rotary International
As Canadians and Rotary members, we take great pride in Canada’s ongoing leadership and commitment to global polio eradication. The Canadian government’s long-standing and unwavering support historically transcends partisan politics, with each of Canada’s political parties — and individuals and entities at every level of authority — helping the world reach significant polio-free milestones and bringing us ever closer to ending polio for good.
Despite significant achievements — including the certification of the World Health Organization’s Africa region as wild polio-free in 2020 — there are still challenges to be met: in Pakistan, in Afghanistan, and in Gaza, which this summer reported its first polio case in 25 years. Clearly, funding eradication efforts must remain a priority.
Despite significant achievements — including the certification of the World Health Organization’s Africa region as wild polio-free in 2020 — there are still challenges to be met: in Pakistan, in Afghanistan, and in Gaza, which this summer reported its first polio case in 25 years. Clearly, funding eradication efforts must remain a priority. Rotary, a founding member of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, has committed more than US$2.7 billion to polio eradication efforts to date, including over US$48 million from Canadian Rotary members and a recent US$500,000 commitment to support a two-round polio vaccination campaign in Gaza.
This funding, along with Canada’s recent pledge, also helps sustain the GPEI’s global health infrastructure that supports disease surveillance, laboratory networks, and trained health care workers, all of which serve to provide additional health services and humanitarian aid to those in need.
As we walk the last kilometres of our shared journey to end polio, we again express our gratitude for Canada’s commitment because it revitalizes our efforts. It inspires all of our partners to recommit to ending this disease through high-quality immunization campaigns and to continue to support the GPEI’s global health infrastructure that responds to a multitude of concerns. We remain steadfast in our efforts and advocacy and encourage others to join us. We must not let challenges deter us but rather use them to fuel our fight and propel us to seek the sustained political and financial support of other governments, nonprofits, and concerned citizens like you.
Ultimately, we have the tools and the strategy to ensure no child ever suffers again from this paralyzing disease. Each one of us is a stakeholder in achieving this vision.
JENNIFER JONES
Rotary International President, 2022-23
Rotary International President, 2022-23
RAMESH FERRIS
Polio survivor and Team End Polio member
* A version of this article previously ran in the Windsor Star (Ontario).
Polio survivor and Team End Polio member
* A version of this article previously ran in the Windsor Star (Ontario).