Sep. 23, 2024
The Government of Canada continues to demonstrate its commitment and leadership in the fight to eradicate polio, announcing a new contribution of CAN $151 million over the next three years to support the work of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI). Canada’s Minister of International Development, the Hon. Ahmed Hussen, formally announced Canada’s next pledge to the GPEI at a Rotary regional conference in Toronto, Ontario on 20 September.
Canada has been a leading supporter of the global polio eradication effort since its inception and across successive governments, helping the GPEI reduce cases globally by over 99% and prevent more than 20 million cases of paralysis from polio. This most recent funding, which brings Canada’s total contributions to the GPEI to more than CAN $1 billion, will support the GPEI’s ongoing efforts in immunizing 370 million children annually. Canada’s overall contribution has also helped build and will ensure the continuation of increasingly important health infrastructure in some of the most vulnerable regions of the world. In addition to vaccinating children against polio, this infrastructure also delivers other essential health services, including critical surveillance and tracking systems.
“Rotary members in Canada and throughout the world are thrilled to welcome this new investment to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative,” said Jennifer Jones, who served as the President of Rotary International in 2022-23. “As a founding member of the GPEI, ending polio has been Rotary’s top priority since the very beginning, and the Canadian government has been with us every step of the way. With the finish line so close, every contribution to the global effort is a critical step towards a world without polio for children everywhere.”Toda
irus recently paralyzed a child for the first time in 25 years. The final two countries where the wild poliovirus remains endemic are Afghanistan and Pakistan. The GPEI is continuing to adapt its approach to reach every child with polio vaccines and other essential health services in these and other affected countries that are challenged by setbacks in routine immunization, security threats and climate catastrophes.
“Canada’s support to GPEI is instrumental in protecting the lives of millions of children around the world against polio,” said Catherine Russell, Executive Director of UNICEF. “With the continuing commitment of our donors, and all partners in the polio program, we can deliver a world where no child has to live in fear of this disease."
