The award was presented on behalf of Rotary
International at Buckingham Palace, London. Since 1990, the President of Rotary
International has granted the Rotary International Award of Honor to deserving
individuals. Past recipients of the Rotary
International Award of Honor include the late Nelson Mandela, State
President, Republic of South Africa; His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI; UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon; Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan and the late
King Hussein of Jordan.
Her Majesty The Queen, who celebrated the 60th
anniversary of her Coronation this year, sent her good wishes for the year
ahead to all Rotary Club Members in the United Kingdom and throughout the
Commonwealth and applauds Rotary for its polio eradication program and advocacy
efforts: “I am pleased that Commonwealth governments are playing their part in
tackling disease and improving health for all. Polio, for example, used to cast
its shadow across many countries. Today, thanks to concerted international action,
just a handful still need to eliminate polio.”
When Rotary launched its PolioPlus program in 1985,
polio struck more than 1,000 children around the world every day. Although the
disease is at its lowest levels ever—just 223 reported cases in 2012—polio has
never been stopped in Nigeria, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.
Rotary made polio eradication its top philanthropic
goal in 1985. As the volunteer arm of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative
(GPEI), Rotary has contributed more than US$1.2 billion and countless hours of
volunteer service to ending polio. This includes nearly ₤20 million contributed
by the more than 53,000 members of Rotary clubs in the United Kingdom. To date,
more than two billion children have been immunized against the paralyzing and
sometimes deadly poliovirus.
The Global Polio Eradication Initiative includes
the World Health Organization, Rotary International, the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
About Rotary
Rotary brings together a global network of
volunteer leaders dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian
challenges. Rotary
connects 1.2 million members of more than 34,000 Rotary clubs in over 200
countries and geographical areas. Their work impacts lives at both the local
and international levels, from helping families in need in their own
communities to working toward a polio-free world.
