Political will, humanitarian effort, funding all needed to eradicate polio

Though "conflict and insecurity problems in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Nigeria have presented challenges to polio immunization, ... these are surmountable obstacles," Siddharth Chatterjee, chief diplomat and head of strategic partnerships and international relations at the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, writes in the International Peace Institute's Global Observatory. "Millions of children have received polio vaccines in countries ravaged by conflict and poverty, thanks to determined action by national governments and the work of courageous health workers from UNICEF, WHO, Red Cross-Red Crescent National Societies, and [non-governmental organizations]," he notes. In addition to providing political will and humanitarian solidarity, "[w]e must ensure the effort is fully funded; not just year-by-year, but for the long term," he writes, concluding, "We have the opportunity to ensure success, and we must not fail to deliver a legacy of a polio-free world" (10/16).