Rotary recognized today the longstanding support and continued leadership of the German government in support of polio eradication by presenting the Polio Eradication Champion Award to Dirk Niebel, Minister for Economic Development Cooperation.
Germany is a longtime supporter of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) with contributions totalling US$ 417 million through 2012. Germany announced a new commitment of € 100 million at an April 2013 Vaccine Summit in Abu Dhabi . An additional € 5 million in support was announced to support improved security in the remaining polio affected countries in light of recent violent and deadly attacks on health workers.
“Polio is a scourge of mankind. Today we have a unique opportunity to eradicate this devastating disease. We have a responsibility to defeat polio so that future generations will only know about this disease from text books. Rotary has been successfully focused on this task for decades. The achievements so far have been overwhelming. And this is precisely why we must now also go the very last step. I am convinced that polio eradication will be achieved if everyone is on board – the States, civil society and the economy,” said Niebel.
German Rotary International Board Member Holger Knaack, who presented the award remarked, “The successful fight against polio would not be possible without the participation of governments. Rotary International would like to thank the Ministry for Economic cooperation and development aid for the long-term exemplary commitment.”
