Global Luminaries Unite to Issue Urgent Call for a Polio-Free World

Global Luminaries Unite to Issue Urgent Call for a Polio-Free World PR Newswire NEW YORK, September 27, 2012 NEW YORK, September 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- New and Existing Donors Underscore Once-in-a-Generation Opportunity to End Polio Forever In a display of solidarity, leaders from around the world today vowed to capitalize on progress achieved this year and to step up the fight to eradicate polio. Heads of state from Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan stood alongside donor government officials and new donors from the public and private sector to outline what is needed to stamp out this disease forever: long-term commitment of resources; application of innovative best practices; and continued leadership and accountability at all levels of government in the endemic countries. "This decisive moment is a matter of health and justice. Every child should have the right to start life with equal protection from this disease. That's why I have made eradicating polio a top priority for my second term as Secretary-General," said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon. Polio is a vaccine-preventable disease that is more than 99 per cent eliminated from the world. Today, there are the fewest number of polio cases in the fewest districts in the fewest countries than at any time in history. For more information about the UN high-level event "Our Commitment to the Next Generation: The Legacy of a Polio-free World" please visit: http://www.polioeradication.