Champions of Polio Eradication
We have an especially interesting structure in our district...we are multi-national and bilingual. Though this has its difficulties, the rewards of our close relationship with our Canadian Rotarian friends to the north, far outweighs the problems created by the language barrier and sheer geographical vastness of the district. Further, it exemplifies the spirit of Rotary....no boundaries separate Rotarians.President Corina recently attended the Zone Institute in Toronto, Canada. One of the highlights was the presentation of a Rotary Foundation Polio Eradication Champion Award to the Canadian Prime Minister. We congratulate our Canadian neighbors.....it is an honor to work with them to make this world a better place. Read on to learn about this prestigious award.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper was honored with the Rotary Foundation Polio Eradication Champion Award for his longstanding support and continued leadership in efforts to eliminate polio around the world. The Polio Eradication Champion Award is the highest honor the Rotary Foundation presents to heads of state, health agency leaders and others who have made significant contributions to the global polio eradication effort.
The Government of Canada has long been a leader in the fight against polio. Since 2006, Canada has disbursed significant funds to eradicate polio, namely through support to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), to which Canada is one of the top donors. At the Global Vaccine Summit in April 2013, Canada reconfirmed its commitment to polio eradication and pledged funds over six years to support the GPEI’s 2013-2018 Endgame Strategic Plan which sets out a roadmap to eradicate polio by 2018.
Prime Minister Harper joins a roster of distinguished leaders who have been recipients of the award including the Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel, former Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh, former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, United Kingdom Prime Minister David Cameron, and United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
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“I am honoured to receive this prestigious award that recognizes the significant efforts and contributions that our Government continues to make towards eradicating polio. 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.” – Prime Minister Stephen Harper
Click on the photo below to read the Prime Minister's remarks when accepting the award.
