At
#WHA79, Judith Diment MBE, speaking for
@Rotary, made an important point that should not be missed.
The GPEI is one of the clearest examples we have that private-public partnership for a clear purpose works.
Through GPEI, countries, communities, civil society, technical agencies and donors have come together through a shared platform, with operational discipline, collective accountability and a measurable goal.
As conversations on global health architecture reform continue, we should listen carefully to
@Rotary’s message.
We should not allow fragmentation to weaken what has taken decades to build.
The polio eradication programme has strengthened global public health infrastructure by extending disease surveillance and early response systems into some of the most difficult, access-constrained parts of the world.
It has expanded laboratory networks, rapid response capacity, trained frontline workers, trusted community channels and institutionalized a no-excuses operational culture of reaching children and communities in the hardest places.
These assets are now so embedded in global health security and national system resilience that their value is often only noticed when they are at risk.
Thank you to
@Rotary and to Judith personally, for reminding Member States that finishing polio eradication and protecting the functions built through GPEI are not competing priorities.
@Rotary’s continued commitment matters because its voice keeps the world focused on a polio-free world that is achieved in a way that also strengthens systems for those most left behind.
@EndPolioNow @RotaryEndPolio @WHO_Polio @UNICEFpolio @CDCemergency @KSRelief_EN @mbz_foundation