Rotary International and Global Poverty Project call for the End of Polio

WHAT'S THE ISSUE?

Thanks to global efforts, polio has been reduced by 99.9% since 1988. The world stands on the brink of eradication in the next few years, with the chance to make polio on the second ever human disease to be eradicated.

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), the international partnership that coordinates eradication efforts needs more than $1b a year to help achieve this goal, with funding coming from a wide range of people, non-profits, philanthropists and governments, including Australia.

Since coming to power in September 2013, the new Australian Government has refused to say whether or not they’d honour the $15m commitment made by the previous Government towards funding global polio eradication efforts in 2013/2014, $20m in 2014/15, and an additional $80m through to 2018.

HOW DID GLOBAL CITIZENS RESPOND?

Global Citizens were instrumental to getting the original Australian Government commitment to polio eradication in 2011 through The End of Polio campaign, and they have followed up with thousands signing petitions, tweeting and shares about Australia’s contribution. (You can find out more about what we achieved with that campaign here).

Since the election, Global Citizens have continued to tweet, email and sign petitions. Global Citizen staff and other Global Polio Eradication Partnership partners have worked to get the Government to confirm if they would protect polio funding, even though the overall aid program was seeing cuts of around 10%.

WHAT'S THE IMPACT?

The Australian Government confirmed that they will honour their $15m commitment to GPEI this year, making the following statement:

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Global Citizens will continue to keep the pressure on the Australian Government to deliver on the remaining $100m that has previously been committed to polio eradication, with a particular focus on the forthcoming May budget.