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08/09/2010

United States

Open letter from Jeff Raikes, CEO, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

"Polio eradication one of my top priorities as CEO."

In his Annual Report letter to stakeholders and partners, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation CEO Jeff Raikes calls polio eradication one of his top priorities. With polio eradication at a critical juncture, Raikes underscores the urgent need for the international community, and in particular G8 countries, to strengthen commitment to polio eradication. “The stakes are so high, and we have come so far, which is why I am so surprised that the world is short of the funding it needs to finish the job,” he said. “It’s shocking, but funding from the G8 countries has actually gone down in the last several years. It’s very clear: this is a make-or-break time for polio eradication.”

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