The fight to eradicate polio took centre stage at a gathering of leaders from over 50 countries.  During a high-level event at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), leaders from Malta, Canada, Australia, Nigeria, Pakistan and the UK joined UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and Commonwealth Secretary-General Designate Patricia Scotland to voice their commitment to wiping out polio for good. 

Canadian polio-survivor Ramesh Ferris, launched the event with a powerful speech. Born in India, Ferris contracted polio at 6 months old. It was only after he was adopted by Canadian parents at 2-years old that he was able to benefit from corrective surgeries and rehabilitation. He learned to walk a year later. 

“Achieving a polio free world is 100% achievable,”  Ferris said, but pointed to the $1.5 billion US dollar gap in funding required to finish the job. “I want to stress that this money is required to vaccinate millions of children who still have not been reached with the polio vaccine.”

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative was set up to create a world where no child would have to suffer the devastating effects of polio. Commonwealth heads of government have historically been at the forefront of this fight. This event conitnued that tradition. 

At the 2015 Global Citizen Festival, the Prime Minister of Malta Joseph Muscat responded to the actions of 245,000 global citizens and announced that polio eradication would be on the agenda at this year’s CHOGM. Taking to the mic on November 28th, he asserted: “We have kept to our word. I believe with the support of fellow leaders we will manage to eradicate polio.”

“It’s a great tribute to the generosity and philanthropy, in the truest sense of the word, of the Commonwealth that polio eradication is deemed such a big priority in Malta,” said the new Australian Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull. 

The last time Commonwealth leaders met to discuss polio at a summit of this scale was in 2011, when over $100 million USD in new funds was pledged to the eradication initiative. Since then, there has been rapid progress against the virus. Last year,  India and the entire South East Asia region were certified polio-free and Nigeria became the final African country to be removed from the list of polio-endemic countries. 

“Polio struck down many of my generation, and now we are on the verge of striking down polio,” said Ban Ki-Moon. 

It’s true. The world is 99% of the way to eradicating polio entirely. Only two countries, Pakistan and Afghanistan, have reported cases of wild polio in the last year. But there is still work to be done. 

“Until polio is gone everywhere, it is a threat everywhere,” said Ravi Ravindran, President of Rotary International. 

It will take strong leadership to ensure this threat is wiped out completely. Patricia Scotland, the recently appointed Secretary General to the Commonwealth, shared her excitement at speaking on polio in her first public address since her inauguration. The Commonwealth’s first female Secretary General, said: “I will be the midwife responsible for delivering the final coup de grace to polio!” 

With this renewed show of commitment from countries across the Commonwealth - from Pakistan to Nigeria, the UK, Canada and Australia - the end of polio is definitely in sight. 

The theme of this year’s summit was ‘Adding Global Value.’ Leading the fight against polio is certainly proof of the Commonwealth’s value in matters that could save lives across the world today. The next challenge will be to make sure all these countries remain true to their commitments.