During its quarterly face‑to‑face meeting on 3 March 2026, the Global Certification Commission Containment Working Group (GCC-CWG), the group was warmly welcomed to White Rock, near Vancouver BC, Canada, by the Rotary Club of White Rock—an inspiring example of Rotary’s grassroots leadership in global health. As the initiator of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, Rotary continues to play a pivotal role alongside WHO, governments, UNICEF, CDC, Gavi the Vaccine Alliance and the Gates Foundation, in driving progress toward a polio‑free world.

GCC-CWG members joined Rotarians at their weekly meeting, where advocacy efforts, fundraising achievements, and future initiatives were shared—demonstrating how local action fuels global impact. The GCC-CWG Chair and WHO Global Containment Focal Point provided updates on the global polio programme and highlighted the critical importance of containment in safeguarding decades of investment and success.  Achieving and sustaining safe and secure containment of polioviruses in laboratories, vaccine manufacturers and other facilities to prevent reintroduction in a polio-free world is an integral part of the Sustaining a Polio-free World:  A Strategy for Long-term Success, aimed at ensuring that once polio is eradiated, it will stay eradicated.

The GCC-CWG and the WHO Secretariat extend their sincere gratitude to Rotary volunteers worldwide, whose dedication, leadership, and unwavering commitment remain indispensable to ending polio once and for all.

More information on Rotary Club White Rock, and their PolioPlus fundraising activities, are available here.