McGovern Joined Global Leaders at UNICEF Headquarters to Advance Polio Eradication (Adapted from a press release.)
By: Carol Madsen, D7780 Newsletter Editor, Bridgton-Lake Region RC
Michael McGovern from the SP-CE Club represented Rotary International on September 22, 2025 at a high-level panel on polio eradication held at UNICEF House, UN Headquarters. He joined global health leaders including Chris Elias (Gates Foundation), Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Rabeeah (King Salman Center), WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, GAVI CEO Sania Nishtar, and UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. Mike is RI Chair of the PolioPlus Committee.
The panel coincided with news that U.S. Congressional budget proposals include $265 million in level funding for polio eradication in 2026. McGovern reaffirmed Rotary’s unwavering commitment to ending polio, citing global fundraising and awareness efforts led by Rotary International.
Panel Discussion on Polio Eradication with (l–r) Chris Elias,
Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Rabeeah, Tedros Adhanom
Ghebreyesus, GAVI CEO Sania Nishtar, Michael McGovern,
and Catherine Russell.
In October, Rotary’s International PolioPlus Committee will approve $50 million for vaccines, frontline workers, and medical surveillance. Combined with earlier 2025 allocations, Rotary will contribute $150 million this year—supporting immunization for 150 million children. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative has also approved a 2026 budget enabling 788 million immunizations worldwide.
ROTARY’S LEADERSHIP IN POLIO ERADICATION
Since launching the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1985, Rotary International has helped reduce polio cases by 99.9%. Under McGovern’s leadership as Chair of the PolioPlus Committee since 2014, Rotary has worked closely with the UN, WHO, USAID, and the Gates Foundation, which matches Rotary’s donations 2-to-1 annually.
Today, only two countries remain polio-endemic: Afghanistan and Pakistan.
THE FINAL PUSH
Speaking earlier this year in Bridgton, Maine, McGovern likened Rotary’s mission to JFK’s moonshot challenge:
"We choose to go to the moon … and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.”
McGovern also acknowledged the courage of vaccinators in Afghanistan and Pakistan, where violence has tragically claimed lives—not due to vaccine opposition, but as political protest.
“We Rotarians are asked to give money, but we’re not asked to give our lives,” he said.
He closed his earlier talk with a call to action:
“We must finish the fight against polio because the children of the world are depending on us. And there are other challenges ahead that need our focus.”
When asked if polio eradication is achievable, McGovern’s answer was clear: “YES.”
ABOUT MIKE MCGOVERN
A Maine native and longtime Rotarian, McGovern is a member of the South Portland/Cape Elizabeth Rotary Club. He served 31 years in public service, retiring as Cape Elizabeth’s Town Manager in 2016.
WHAT IS POLIO?
Polio (poliomyelitis) is a paralyzing and potentially fatal disease that primarily affects children under five. It spreads through contaminated water and attacks the nervous system, often causing lifelong complications or death.
LEARN MORE
To learn more about Rotary International's effort to end polio, go to Ending Polio | Rotary International