October 2025 – Geneva, Switzerland: Every year on World Polio Day, the global community comes together to renew its commitment to ending one of humanity’s longest-running public health efforts. Led by Rotary International, Rotarians and partners around the world organize events, campaigns, and discussions to raise awareness and resources for the final push to eradicate polio — once and for all.
This year’s observance comes at a pivotal moment. Against a backdrop of shifting geopolitical realities and significant cuts in global health funding, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) has launched its new Global Action Plan — a focused framework to ensure that the world’s 2022–2029 Polio Eradication Strategy can be fully implemented despite these challenges. The plan emphasizes smarter, leaner, and more localized operations to protect hard-won gains and reach every last child.
In a world that often feels divided, polio eradication remains a rare example of what global collaboration can achieve. The recent outbreak response in Gaza — made possible through humanitarian pauses that allowed vaccination teams to reach hundreds of thousands of children amid conflict — proved that even under the most difficult circumstances, success is possible when humanity and partnership prevail. Since 5 March 2025, no poliovirus has been detected in Gaza — a powerful reminder that there are no biological or technical barriers to eradication, only the choices we make.
As the Global Action Plan underscores, ending polio everywhere requires continued political commitment and financial support from all sectors — governments, donors, civil society, and the public. Just last month, senior health leaders – led by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KS Relief) – convened in the sidelines of the UN General Assembly to reaffirm their commitment to achieving a lasting polio-free world.
“Polio eradication has always been an extraordinary ambition — and we’ve brought the world to the edge of achieving it. Each campaign, each surveillance sample, each outbreak stopped means children who will never have to face paralysis, families spared heartache, and communities strengthened. At the same time, we remain driven by the bigger vision — to finish the job and make polio the second human disease ever eradicated from the earth. In a world that often feels divided, our collective work is proof of what’s possible when nations, partners, and communities come together for a shared goal. We are not just responding to outbreaks — we are writing history,” commented Mike McGovern, Chair of the Rotary International PolioPlus Committee.
On this World Polio Day, let us celebrate what has been achieved — and recommit to what remains to be done. The goal is within reach. Together, we can ensure that every child, everywhere, grows up free from polio.
