Claire Hajaj of UNICEF, New York (chajaj@unicef.org), and Melissa Corkum (corkumm@who.int) and Cynthia Veliko (velikoc@who.int) of WHO, Geneva

New Delhi, India

This was presented at the June 2004 UNICEF meeting dedicated to examining communication in the context of the final push to eradicate polio. The presentation provided an overview of how the four global partners in the polio eradication effort (the World Health Organization (WHO), Rotary International, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and UNICEF) work together to form one global voice with the following primary goals: to sustain and increase political commitment, to boost resource mobilisation and to support country strategies.

This is achieved by development of global messages such as the slogan: "now, more than ever, stop polio forever"; by preparation of joint materials and publications (e.g., "Polio News"); and by involving global leaders (e.g., United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan). Specific activities from January to June 2004 are summarised (e.g., signing of the "Geneva Declaration on Polio Eradication"). Challenges are identified (including the lack of information and competing priorities) as are priorities for the period from July to December 2004.

Click here to download the full presentation as a PDF file.