
Washington, DC (Vocus) October 25, 2010
As Nigeria celebrates its 50th anniversary, UN Foundation Founder and Chairman Ted Turner is in Nigeria from October 24-25, 2010 to deliver a message to nearby leaders that Nigeria should preserve up the fight against disease by continuing to leverage the power of modern vaccines. Operating together, I know we can finish the job on polio, said Turner. The UN Foundation is pointing to current progress in Nigeria as proof that vaccines are crucial to eradicating polio and lowering measles worldwide.
Ted Turner, UN Foundation President Timothy E. Wirth, and UN Foundation Board Member Andrew Young are visiting Nigeria to meet with government and community leaders to find out firsthand about the power of public-private partnerships aimed at enhancing childrens health. Their pay a visit to comes at the finish of a week-lengthy Board meeting in Africa where the Foundations Board members called for increased participation by the private sector and civil society to maximize what the UN and governments can obtain together in tackling global challenges.
Nigeria has created tremendous progress toward eradicating polio by way of partnerships with community and government leaders that encourage parents to have their youngsters immunized, mentioned Ted Turner. With support from leaders like the Sultan of Sokoto, we are on the verge of achieving the initial fantastic humanitarian victory of the 21st century the complete elimination of a disease that when afflicted millions. By building on the success of partnerships like these, we can eliminate measles and defend young children from other vaccine-preventable illnesses to obtain the Millennium Development Objectives (MDGs).
As a UN MDG advocate, Turner stressed that the countrys recent progress in stopping polio is a testament to Nigerias power to accelerate progress in achieving the MDGs. Set in 2000 by the United Nations, the MDGs
tackle the greatest difficulties facing the world right now these contain global poverty, womens and childrens health, hunger, and education.????
Last year Nigeria reduced circumstances of polio by 98 percent with only eight situations confirmed in 2010, as compared to almost 400 in the fall of 2009. This success is a result of the vital work of the Council of Amirs formed by the Sultan of Sokoto and the commitment of government leaders to assure that everyone eligible for a polio vaccination receives 1.
While in Nigeria, Turner, Wirth, and Young will check out with the Sultan of Sokoto on Sunday, October 24. The meeting will include other religious, classic, and civil society leaders who have played an active role in promoting immunization efforts.
Nigeria will hold a national measles immunization campaign in early 2011. The campaign will also incorporate polio vaccinations and will construct on the productive work of the polio eradication efforts to stop measles deaths. Nigerias government leads most African countries by financing over two-thirds of costs for measles campaigns.
Turner and Wirth will also hold meetings in Abuja on Monday, October 25 with Hajiya Amina Az-Zubair, who serves as Senior Special Assistant/Advisor on the MDGs to President Goodluck Jonathan. The UN Foundation leaders will also meet with the Nigerian Council of Governors, which represents the governors of the 36 states that make up the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Produced in 1998 with Ted Turners U.S. $ 1 billion gift to support UN causes and activities, the UN Foundation connects people, ideas and resources to help the UN solve global issues. Since 2005, the UN Foundation, Nigerian Government and partners in the Measles Initiative have supported measles campaigns costing much more than $ 100 million and created public-private partnerships to support UN projects in Nigeria. These efforts are carried out by the Nigerian government, UN Agencies, and top Nigerian enterprise and nongovernmental organizations.
Background:
Polio, which can trigger lifelong paralysis, can be prevented with a vaccine that expenses only $ .60. In the 1980s, polio paralyzed at least 1,000 young children each day all more than the globe, but nowadays, following international efforts to immunize every single child everywhere, 5 million folks are walking who would otherwise be paralyzed and the globe is almost polio-free of charge. Considering that 1998, the United Nations Foundation has been an active participant in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, raising funds and awareness, advancing the policies of national governments and international agencies, and supporting the leadership of UN agencies to aid eradicate polio.
Developing on its experience with the polio eradication initiative, the UN Foundation became a founding partner in the Measles Initiative, launched in 2001 to lessen measles deaths worldwide. Bringing together the combined resources of the UN Foundation, WHO, UNICEF, the American Red Cross and the U.S. Centers for Illness Control and Prevention, the Measles Initiative has turn out to be 1 of the most successful global wellness efforts in recent memory. The Measles Initiative is one the UN Foundations largest partnerships and has helped to avoid 4.three million deaths considering that 2000.
The members of the Foundations Board of Directors represent 11 nationalities. Members are: R.E. Ted Turner (U.S.A.), Chairman and Founder, United Nations Foundation, Turner Enterprises Timothy E. Wirth (U.S.A.), President, United Nations Foundation and Much better Globe Fund and former U.S. Senator Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah (Jordan), Chairperson of the Queen Rania Foundation for Education and the Jordan River Foundation Kofi Annan (Ghana), former United Nations Secretary-General Gro Harlem Brundtland (Norway), Director-General Emeritus, Globe Well being Organization and Former Prime Minister of Norway Igor Ivanov (Russia), Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation N.R. Narayana Murthy (India), Chairman of the Board and Chief Mentor of Infosys Technologies Restricted Hisashi Owada (Japan), President of the International Court of Justice Emma Rothschild (United Kingdom), Jeremy and Jane Knowles Professor of History, Harvard University and Director, Joint Center for History and Economics, Harvard University Nafis Sadik (Pakistan), Unique Advisor to the UN Secretary-General Andrew Young (U.S.A.), Chairman of Great Functions International and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Yuan Ming (China), Director, Institute of International Relations at Peking University Muhammad Yunus (Bangladesh), Founder of the Grameen Bank
About the United Nations Foundation
The United Nations Foundation, a public charity, was designed in 1998 with entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turners historic $ 1 billion gift to support UN causes and activities. The UN Foundation builds and implements public/private partnerships to address the worlds most pressing difficulties, and works to broaden support for the UN via advocacy and public outreach. By means of campaigns and partnerships, the organization connects people, tips, and resources to aid the UN solve global difficulties. The campaigns lessen child mortality, empower females and girls, develop a new power future, secure peace and human rights, and promote technologies innovation to enhance well being outcomes. These solutions are helping the UN advance the eight global targets identified as the Millennium Development Objectives (MDGs). For far more data, go to http://www.unfoundation.org.
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