Rotary
International today (Monday) recognized and honored Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II with the Rotary International Award of Honor to celebrate the
60th anniversary of her Coronation.
In a statement made available to HealthNewsNG.com, the organization said "Her Majesty The Queen, who has
graciously accepted this prestigious honor, has supported Rotary's polio
eradication and humanitarian programs."
"The
award was presented on behalf of Rotary International at Buckingham
Palace, London. Since 1990, the President of Rotary International has
granted the Rotary International Award of Honor to deserving
individuals. Past recipients of the Rotary International Award of Honor
include the late Nelson Mandela, State President, Republic of South
Africa; His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI; UN Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon; Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan and the late King Hussein of
Jordan," Rotary International stated.
This year, Her
Majesty The Queen, celebrated the 60th anniversary of her
Coronation and she sent her good wishes for the year ahead to all
Rotary Club Members in the United Kingdom and throughout the
Commonwealth and applauds Rotary for its polio eradication program and
advocacy efforts:
“I am pleased that Commonwealth governments are
playing their part in tackling disease and improving health for all.
Polio, for example, used to cast its shadow across many countries. Today, thanks to concerted international action, just a handful still need to eliminate polio,” The Queen said.
When
Rotary launched its PolioPlus program in 1985, polio struck more than
1,000 children around the world every day. Although the disease is at
its lowest levels ever—just 223 reported cases in 2012—polio has never
been stopped in Nigeria, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.
"Rotary
made polio eradication its top philanthropic goal in 1985. As the
volunteer arm of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), Rotary
has contributed more than US$1.2 billion and countless hours of
volunteer service to ending polio. This includes nearly ₤20 million
contributed by the more than 53,000 members of Rotary clubs in the
United Kingdom. To date, more than two billion children have been
immunized against the paralyzing and sometimes deadly polio virus," Rotary said.
The
Global Polio Eradication Initiative includes the World Health
Organization, Rotary International, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the United
Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
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