UN Foundation Commends Rotary International For Their Leadership in the Global Fight to Eradicate Polio

Statement by Ted Turner, Chairman of the Board of Directors

(Issues Wire / Vocus) November 26, 2007 -- We applaud the major announcement today by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to help Rotary International launch a final push to mobilize public concern and private contributions to help eradicate polio. Were almost there. Polio is only endemic in four countries and this matching grant of $100 million will help to eliminate this preventable, crippling disease.

With this renewed attention and support, Rotary will continue its work with the Global Polio Eradication Initiative led by the World Health Organization, UNICEF and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This tremendous group effort has helped to drive the number of polio cases down from more than 350,000 to less than 1,000—a drop of more than 99 percent.

The UN Foundation is proud to have been involved in this effort for the past decade, and we are strongly committed to work with Rotary to ensure that the global effort has the resources needed to send polio the way of small pox and eliminate it from the planet."

About the United Nations Foundation
The UN Foundation, created in 1998 with entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turners historic $1 billion gift to support UN causes and activities, builds and implements public-private partnerships that address the worlds most pressing problems. Its partnerships and campaigns have global reach, and cut across diverse issue areas, including: protecting biodiversity and promoting sustainable development; providing insecticide-treated bed nets to prevent the spread of malaria in Africa; and increasing access to technology for international humanitarian relief and public health workers. For more information about the United Nations Foundation, visit www.unfoundation.org.

Press Contact:
Amy DiElsi
Senior Communications Officer
United Nations Foundation
(o) 202-419-3230, (e) adielsi@unfoundation.org

###

Post Comment:
Trackback URL: http://issueswire.com/pingpr.php/U3F1YS1aZXRhLUxvdmUtSG9yci1UaGlyLVplcm8=

un foundation polio polio eradication ted turner bill & melinda gates foundation matching grant of $100 million rotary international international humanitarian relief

Bookmark -  Del.icio.us | Digg | Furl It | Spurl | RawSugar | Simpy | Shadows | Blink It | My Web

• UN Foundation Women and Population Executive Director Tamara Kreinin Remarks on Withholding of UNFPA Funding 2008-06-27
• BWC Launches George Clooney PSA In Support of UN Peacekeepers 2008-05-29
• Mobile Technology Helping Drive Social Change 2008-04-29
• UN Foundation Mobilizes 25 Million People to Cover a Continent 2008-04-23
• Honor Our Financial Commitments to the UN 2008-04-16