For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
June 10, 2004

Fact Sheet: Commitment to Eradicate Polio

Presidential Action

President Bush together with the other G-8 Leaders committed to take all necessary steps to eradicate polio by the end of 2005. The G-8 have already closed the 2004 funding gap for the Polio Eradication Initiative, and agreed to work with other donors to close the 2005 gap by the 2005 G-8 Summit.

G-8 Action: The G-8 countries have taken up the challenge of eradicating polio and together with partners from the public and private sectors have raised over $3.3 billion to fund polio immunization campaigns around the world. The G-8 Leaders are committed to the goal of eradicating polio by the end of 2005, and to that end they agreed to:

• Work together with other public and private donors to close the 2005 funding gap by the 2005 G-8 Summit; the

G-8 and other donors have already closed the funding gap for 2004; and

• Urge the governments of the six polio-endemic countries and the nine countries in which polio is now spreading to take stronger steps to contain and destroy the polio virus. The G-8 welcomed and recognized the special contribution made by Rotary International to the eradication of polio.

U.S. Leadership: Since 1988, the United States has led global efforts to eradicate polio:

• The U.S. has pledged or contributed $981.3 million for the global Polio Eradication Initiative, or 28.2% of the $3.48 billion total pledged worldwide since 1988, and has also provided $38 million in additional bilateral programs in support of these efforts.

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