Contribution includes education initiative leading up to Hajj
New York (Vocus) September 23, 2009 -- The United Nations Foundation and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced today that the Kingdom will contribute $30 million to eradicate polio worldwide, making it only the second disease to be eliminated from the world. The vast majority of the world is now polio-free, but polio remains endemic in four countries--Nigeria, India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.
Today's announcement was made by United Nations Foundation Founder and Chairman Ted Turner, UN Foundation President Timothy E. Wirth, Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia HRH Prince Saud Al-Faisal, and Permanent Representative of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations H.E. Khalid Abdalrazaq Al-Nafisee during the annual Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), where Former President Bill Clinton commended the leaders in the fight against polio.
"50 years after Dr. Albert Sabin invented the oral polio vaccine, polio has been eliminated from more than 125 countries," said Ted Turner. "The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will help us finish the job. Let's rid the world of polio once and for all."
In addition to the financial commitment, Saudi Arabia, the Keeper of the Two Holy Mosques, is also requiring every pilgrim entering the Kingdom for the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, to receive a polio vaccination. By raising awareness about the importance of polio immunizations among Muslim pilgrims, the Kingdom is helping to dispel misconceptions about the safety of vaccines and is underscoring that polio immunizations are not only appropriate, but essential.