POLIO ERADICATION PARTNERS HOLD GLOBAL SUMMIT AT HEADQUARTERS, RENEW PLEDGE TO MAKE WORLD POLIO-FREE BY 2005

Press Release
ICEF/1846
SAG/85

POLIO ERADICATION PARTNERS HOLD GLOBAL SUMMIT AT HEADQUARTERS, RENEW PLEDGE TO MAKE WORLD POLIO-FREE BY 2005

Secretary-General Praises Public-Private Partnership; Calls for Greater Commitment in ‘Race to Reach the Last Child’

Polio Eradication Partners renewed their pledge to certify the world polio- free by 2005 at a Global Summit held this morning at Headquarters. The partnership is spearheaded by the World Health Organization (WHO), Rotary International, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

In his keynote address, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said humankind stood on the verge of eliminating forever what was once the world’s leading cause of permanent disability. The benefits would reach all people, for all time, only if all children were immunized. The last phase of polio eradication –- the race to reach the last child -- would require greater mobilization of people and funds, and commitment at the highest level. Governments, organizations and individuals had made polio eradication a model of public-private partnership -- the key in the fight against polio.

WHO Director-General Gro Harlem Brundtland said that the countdown to a polio-free world had been launched, thanks to a strong partnership between the public and private sectors. Three key challenges in the fight were to ensure access to all children, especially in conflict areas, adequate finance from the private and public sectors, and continuing political support at the highest level. The world had travelled a long way since the miracle vaccine was discovered over a generation ago, and, together, it could take the global polio-eradication effort through to 2005 and make history.

The central challenge in the fight against polio, said Carol Bellamy, UNICEF’s Executive Director, was sustaining the momentum, which required the highest degree of commitment. As long as one child remained a polio transmitter, all children were at risk. With sustained efforts, over the next 24 months, polio could be eradicated by 2005.

Donna Shalala, United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, said that no nation was truly free from polio until every nation was free from polio. “We must pit, not only our wallets, but also our wills to the fight”, she said. Today’s Summit was a call to arms to finish the job and save millions of children from polio’s tears and millions of parents from polio’s fears.

- 2 - Press Release ICEF/1846 SAG/85 27 September 2000

Statements were also made this morning by Frank Devlyn, President of Rotary International; Ted Turner, Chair of the United Nations Foundation, and Vice- Chairman of Time Warner, Inc; Mia Farrow, UNICEF Special Representative; and Aminat Ndalolo, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Health.

Addressing the Summit through videotaped messages were: Claire Short, Secretary of State for International Development of the United Kingdom; Bill Gates, Co-Founder, The Bill and Melissa Gates Foundation; Martina Hingis, WHO Polio Spokesperson; Olusegun Obasanjo, President of Nigeria; and Sheik Hasina, Prime Minister of Bangladesh.

In addition, Tim Wirth, President of the United Nations Foundation and master of ceremonies of the Summit, read out the Polio Pledge to Certify the World Polio-Free by 2005, which, among other things, called on every Member States to reaffirm their commitment to eradicate polio and to implement the Global Polio Eradication Initiative Strategic Plan 2001-2005. The Summit concluded with a question-and-answer session.

Statements

GRO HARLEM BRUNDTLAND, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), said that, up to 12 years ago, at least 350,000 cases of polio were reported every year. So far this year, that number had been 2,000. The countdown to a polio-free world had been launched, thanks to a strong partnership between the public and private sectors. Yet, the hardest part was yet to come. There was a strategic plan for the next five years, which was the roadmap to a polio-free world. The world community had reached a critical time in the fight against polio. The WHO, the Rotary International, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) represented the polio partnership.

By the end of 2000, she said, more than 190 countries and territories would have met the target set by the World Health Assembly in 1988. There were five critical components in the polio-eradication strategy. First was to conduct effective and high-quality national immunization days. Second was to develop and sustain surveillance and laboratory systems that can rapidly identify polio- infected areas. It was also necessary to ensure laboratory containment of wild poliovirus stocks and to develop a strategy to stop polio immunization after certification of eradication. Lastly, polio eradication must be used to strengthen and expand routine immunization services.

She said that the three key challenges in the fight were to ensure access to all children, especially in conflict areas, adequate finance from the private and public sectors, and continuing political support at the highest level. The partnership had a strong team and drew on the contributions of 10 million volunteers. It would soon be joined by the Red Cross and Red Crescent societies. The world had travelled a long way since the miracle vaccine was discovered over a generation ago. Together, the international community could take the global polio- eradication effort through to 2005 and make history.

KOFI ANNAN, Secretary-General of the United Nations, said that the dream of today’s Summit was a world that would be forever free of polio. The story of polio eradication was one of the most remarkable in the history of humankind. As the story opened, millions of children throughout the world lived under the threat of polio, while their parents could only pray for a miracle cure. Today, the story entered its final chapter. Every child on earth must be immunized against polio, so that the world was free from the grip of the dreadful disease.

Governments, organizations and individuals had made polio eradication a model of public-private partnership, he said. Those public-private partnerships had not only been the key in the fight against polio, they had also helped show the way forward in building partnerships elsewhere. The global mobilization of people and resources should be the envy of any movement in a globalizing age. National immunization days had reached tens of millions of children in a single day. In war zones around the world, guns had fallen silent to allow immunization days to take place, demonstrating that, even in the most intractable of conflicts, warring parties could call a halt to destruction in the cause of life.

Humankind stood on the verge of eliminating forever what was once the world’s leading cause of permanent disability, he said. The benefits would reach all people for all time only if all children could be immunized. The last phase of polio eradication was a race to reach the last child. That would require greater mobilization of people and funds. It would call for commitment at the highest level. He pledged that the United Nations family would commit itself to the challenge. All of the instruments of the United Nations system must be used to finish the last chapter of polio eradication.

Speaking about the funding challenge, FRANK DEVLYN, President, Rotary International, said that years from today when the world looked back on the historic fight against polio, two stories would emerge: one of epic triumph over a life threatening and crippling disease; the other of the unprecedented partnerships among governments, United Nations agencies and the private and public sectors. Rotary’s commitment to polio eradication had its roots in 1979 with five-year pilot programme to immunize children in the Philippines. In 1988, Rotary joined with other partners to wipe polio from the face of the earth. Since then, it had contributed $378 million and had pledged that its commitment would reach $500 million by 2005. Those funds would provide much-needed polio vaccine, operational support, medical personnel, laboratory equipment and educational materials for health workers and parents.

Even more important, he continued, was that over 1 million men and women of Rotary worldwide continued to offer their compassion, time and expertise. The fight, like the disease itself, had no borders. Without adequate funding and international support, polio would continue to plague the world through the next century. The cost of failure would far outweigh the funding shortfall of $450 million needed to eradicate polio. It was estimated that the world would save $1.5 billion in routine immunizations after polio was eradicated. In recognizing that urgency, Rotary had teamed up with the United Nations Foundation to appeal to global private sector corporations, foundations and individual philanthropists to help close the funding gap. Along with Rotary’s and WHO’s already active public sector advocacy efforts, the 18-month private sector campaign would solicit funds to support national immunization days, surveillance and other projects that directly affected polio eradication.

TED TURNER, Chair, United Nations Foundation, and Vice-Chair, Time Warner Inc., said that it was inevitable that his efforts converged with those of Rotary International and the United Nations. He had grown up with the fear of this disease. Now, it was on the run. It was an honour to make the single largest grant so far towards finishing the job that had been so wonderfully led by the groups present at the Summit. He called for those that had been blessed with wealth to donate what they could. Biological warfare was also something that needed to be addressed, as was chemical warfare. First, though, it was important to focus on eradicating polio.

CLARE SHORT, United Kingdom Secretary of State for International Development, whose statement was presented on videotape, said that many people had gotten polio. It caused suffering and poverty, as a consequence of ill health. To eliminate it would be a fantastic prize. It should make everyone proud.

BILL GATES, Co-Founder, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, also on videotape, said that people had devoted their lives to the cause. It was interesting for him to see how it worked. He had a sense of what it meant to eradicate the disease. He and his wife had travelled to Bangladesh and witnessed first hand the efforts being made on behalf of polio eradication. He thought that everyone should feel proud of the work being done. He hoped that it was something that could be repeated for other global challenges.

MARTINA HINGIS, WHO Polio Spokesperson, also on videotape, said that it was match point against polio. She urged that everyone play to win.

UNICEF Special Representative MIA FARROW said that during her ninth birthday party, she had fallen. The next day, she fell again and could not get up. The year was 1954, and the polio epidemic was sweeping the country. She remembered the terror and pain she felt and the fear she saw in the eyes of the medical personnel looking after her. She realized she had brought a terrible disease to her family and classmates. However, she was one of the fortunate ones, who survived polio without any lasting effects. Her son, Thaddeus, who was here today, had contracted polio while in an orphanage in India. He joined her here today to see the dream come true and show support for the major effort to vaccinate every child, so the world could be certified polio-free by the year 2005. More than 7,000 cases of polio were reported worldwide last year. If people could follow Thaddeus through one day of his life and see how hard it was for him, they would ensure that there would be no more polio.

AMINAT NDALOLO, Minister of State for Health of Nigeria, said that it was an honour to be at the Summit. The President of Nigeria was unable to make it. She apologized on his behalf and introduced a videotaped statement of the President.

OLUSEGUN OBASANJO, President of Nigeria, speaking on a videotaped statement, said that the importance of the Summit was underscored by the eminent guests assembled. The goal of polio eradication was a goal of equity for the children of the world. The last child of polio would probably be an African child. Polio knew no barriers of race or culture. That was why the countries of Central Africa were going to launch an initiative to synchronize national immunization days. He was honoured to work on behalf of that effort. He was one of 17 Central and West African presidents that would take advantage of the tremendous effort. He was committed to stopping the virus in its tracks. He looked forward to the continued engagement of the United Nations.

SHEIKH HASINA, Prime Minister of Bangladesh, also speaking by videotape, said that her country was committed to organizing immunization days. She would do her part to help in those efforts. Polio eradication was leading to a new era of quality health care in Bangladesh. People from all walks of life would benefit. Every child in Bangladesh would now be vaccinated against polio. She hoped that the initiative of a polio-free world would help to protect all children from disease.

DONNA SHALALA, United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, said that 45 years ago the United States had approved history’s first polio vaccine. Today, it stood with its public and private sector partners ready to write the final chapter in the fight against polio. No child should ever be frightened by the disease again. No nation was truly free from polio until every nation was free from polio. Everyone must redouble efforts in the fight. The number of national immunization days must be increased and it must be recognized that laboratory containment of the wild poliovirus was critical for all, not just the developing world. “We must pit, not only wallets, but also our wills to the fight.”

She said that success required political leaders at the highest level to view immunization as a countrywide challenge and to never let that political will waiver. Today’s purpose was to make a call to arms to finish the job and save millions of children from polio’s tears and millions of parents from polio’s fears. Polio was one threat the world could do something about. The world had the science and technology; now, it only needed the political will.

CAROL BELLAMY. Executive Director of UNICEF, said that only once before in human history had the world witnessed the eradication of a dreaded disease, that of small pox. Now it stood on the brink of the eradication of polio. The central challenge was sustaining the momentum, which required the highest degree of commitment. As long as one child remained a polio transmitter, all children were at risk. The fight had come so far due to remarkable partnerships, which included governments, the private sector and civil society. Progress on reaching all children would depend on access for all children, securing the necessary financial resources and political commitment.

Immunization, she said, involved efforts that were nothing short of heroic. In countries like Sri Lanka and El Salvador, warring factions had put down their arms to allow the vaccination of children. Transporting vaccines were a relay race, beginning with the producers. In that respect, she called on pharmaceutical companies to ensure that enough vaccines were available when and where they were needed. If those efforts were sustained over the next 24 months, she was confident that polio eradication could be achieved by 2005. The international community stood at the most opportune moment for child survival and the achievement of the goals set at the 1990 World Summit for Children.

Following that, the President of the United Nations Foundation, TIM WIRTH, read out the Polio Pledge.

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Question-and-Answer Session

Asked for details on the United States commitment to the eradication of polio, Ms. SHALALA replied that the United States would commit more that $725 million through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Centers for Disease Control, and the Peace Corps. There was also laboratory and technical assistance. She was confident that the United States Government intended to be a full partner in the cause.

Would there be any immunization programmes in Kosovo? a correspondent asked. Ms. BELLAMY replied that there were efforts being made in Kosovo, as well as the surrounding areas, particularly by the WHO.

A representative from the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said that religious, political and civil society leaders were all mobilized to eradicate polio. She was a mother and an African. All Africans were aware of the dangers of the illness. The last child to suffer from polio would be African. Africans were doing their part to eradicate polio from the continent.

A representative from the Sudan reaffirmed his countries commitment to eradicating polio. The Sudan would be using all means at its disposal to add to the initiatives of the Summit.

A correspondent noted that eradication of polio meant that the transmission of the virus had to end in the next 15 months. Angola was currently one of the most difficult areas. He asked what was being done specifically to counter that problem.

Ms. BELLAMY replied that Angola was indeed a problem area. The partnership was doing its part. Unfortunately, staff from Rotary International were killed last year while in Angola. A representative from UNICEF added that he did not believe the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), a rebel movement, controlled areas with a high portion of children, but there were still tremendous problems in gaining access to many areas of the country.

In response to a question regarding the integration of all immunizations, Ms. Bellamy said that the relation between what was being done with polio and other diseases was a part of a public health infrastructure that had been established. Dr. BRUNDTLAND added that the campaign that had been coordinated could spearhead future action in the public health sphere.

A representative from Belgium said that his country was committed to work on behalf of the problems in Central Africa. Belgium was committed to doing more in other regions of the world, as well.

A representative from Finland said that the polio-eradication programme had been successful, but there were still improvements to be made. There was a need for full cooperation to develop national health policies. There were other health problems, as well. That required a joint effort, in order to assist developing countries in their planning capacities.

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