Ban Calls for Renewed Effort to Wipe Out Polio

September 27, 2012

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon Thursday called on U.N. member states to step up their efforts to eradicate polio. Meeting with the leaders of polio-affected countries, and global health activists during this week's U.N. General Assembly session, Ban focused on continuing efforts to eradicate the crippling viral disease, which could otherwise storm back to cause 10 million cases in the next 40 years. International donors expressed a new commitment to the end-polio campaign.

Creating a polio-free world - that is what international leaders gathered in New York said they hope to do. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon expressed his delight at the new promises by member states to step up their fight against the disease.

“One day when polio is eradicated I want everyone in this room to remember that we were here today and that we made the right commitment, we took the right action at the right time to leave a polio free world for future generation," he said.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, center left, addresses a high-level meeting on Polio eradication at the 67th session of the General Assembly at United Nations Headquarters, in New York, Sept. 27, 2012.

Leaders of countries where polio is endemic - including Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai, Nigeria's President GoodLuck Jonathan, and Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari - said they will make polio eradication a priority: