Page 6 - August 25

Rotary Information

Rotary and Gates Foundation Renew Partnership

Rotary and the Gates Foundation are renewing their longstanding partnership to end polio,
announcing a joint commitment of up to US$450 million to support the global polio
eradication effort at the annual Rotary International Convention.

"While historic progress has been made toward defeating polio-90 percent of the world's
population is free from the wild poliovirus-we're facing significant challenges from
competing financial priorities to fragile health systems. Furthermore, the detection of polio in
places like Papua New Guinea that were previously polio free demonstrates that polio
anywhere is a threat everywhere," said Rotary International PolioPlus Committee Chair Mike
McGovern. "The extension of our fundraising partnership with the Gates Foundation allows
us to reach children around the world with lifesaving vaccines, keeping every child and
community safe from this preventable disease."
Rotary will continue to raise $50 million per year, with every dollar to be matched with two
additional dollars from the Gates Foundation. This renewed agreement will translate into up
to a total of $450 million to support the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI).

"Rotary was the first to envision a world without polio-and today, we have the tools and
knowledge to make that vision a reality," said Bill Gates, Chair of the Gates Foundation. "If
we all maintain our commitment and keep funding the solutions we know work, then soon,
no family will have to live in fear of this horrific disease ever again."

The funds are used to support everything from vaccine delivery, surveillance, and community
engagement to the implementation and maintenance of polio eradication programs in affected
regions, including Afghanistan and Pakistan, the only countries that continue to report cases
of wild poliovirus.

The funding also allows Rotary to help aid emergency response for polio outbreaks, and in
late 2024, Rotary committed US$500,000 to support the first round of a two-round polio
vaccination campaign in Gaza following confirmation of a 10-month-old child who
contracted polio in the region.

Polio-a paralyzing and sometimes deadly disease-will become the second human disease in
history to be eradicated, and this critical funding ensures that efforts to protect children in at-
risk countries continue.