Commonwealth leaders gathered in Perth, Australia are divided over how to rein in member nations that violate human rights.
But some of them, including Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, held a news conference Saturday to highlight one issue on which they agree: the fight against polio cannot end. Not until it has been eradicated and every child has been safe.
Lots of high-sounding talk, with some extra money to boot — $15 million from Canada, and $50 million from Australia.
Canada pledges more money toward fight against polio
PERTH, Australia — Commonwealth leaders pledged Saturday to step up their efforts to eradicate polio to save the lives of children from the crippling disease.
As part of that commitment, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced that Canada will boost its anti-polio drive — adding $15 million over two years to the $348 million that the country has granted to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative since 2000.
The leaders chose to highlight the issue on the second day of their biennial gathering. Four of them — Harper, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, British Prime Minister David Cameron, and the leaders of Nigeria and Pakistan held a joint a news conference to promise a renewed commitment to eradicate polio.
Australia pledged an additional $50 million over four years, with Gillard declaring that countries are at a critical crossroads in their decades-old efforts to rid the world of the paralyzing disease which also can be fatal.
"We are within grasp of declaring the end of polio worldwide," she said.
For his part, Harper recalled how polio was once seen as a disease that could not be prevented.
"People who cared had the courage to dream big dreams, nothing less, in fact, where the world would be without polio."
Now, he said, the cost of a vaccine is just 13 cents a dose.
"When doing good is that easy and that inexpensive, doing nothing is really inexcusable."
Cameron concurred, insisting that with the vaccines and tools in place to immunize people, there is no excuse for delay."
"Because while we wait, children are dying."
Cameron said that while countries have made great progress in recent decades, they "haven't quite finished the job" because the disease has not been eradicated.
And until it is stamped out, he said, it could re-emerge and spread again.
"As long as one children remains at risk, all children are at risk."
Polio remains endemic in only four countries: Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, and Pakistan (the latter three are members of the Commonwealth).
The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) is a public-private partnership spearheaded by the World Health Organization to eradicate polio worldwide. Canada is the eighth largest donor.
It was launched in 1988 by national governments, the World Health Organization, Rotary International, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and UNICEF. At that time, polio was endemic in more than 125 countries on five continents, paralyzing more than 1,000 children every day.
Since then, the number of cases has fallen by more than 99 per cent. As of October of this year, there were 444 cases reported globally, down from 717 reported in October 2010.
The initiative comprises everything from immunization to the distribution of vitamin and zinc supplements and anti-malarial bed nets.
In addition to government support, it receives funding from organizations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
At Saturday's news conference, a video recording of Bill Gates was played in which he congratulated the Commonwealth for its commitment and revealed that his foundation was adding an additional $40 million.
At this weekend's Commonwealth summit, leaders are continuing divisive discussions over the dominant issue of the gathering — human rights.
The leaders of the 54-nation association, including Harper, received two reports Friday.
One report from a group of foreign affairs ministers known as the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG), has gained broad acceptance from the Commonwealth leaders.
But the other report, by a panel of "eminent persons," which includes Canadian Senator Hugh Segal has split the Commonwealth leaders, who were debating its proposals Saturday.
The advisory group has made 106 recommendations, including the establishment of a charter of the Commonwealth and the appointment of a Commissioner for Democracy, the Rule of Law and Human Rights to keep track of whether member nations are persistently violating human rights, and who also would recommend "remedial action."
While countries such as Canada and Britain are strong supporters of the report, others within the association — which spans regions such as the Caribbean, Africa and South Asia — oppose some of its key recommendations, particularly the notion of a Democracy and Human Rights commissioner.
Harper told reporters at the end of Friday's meetings that he thinks the report's recommendations are "necessary to modernize the Commonwealth."
He said he's hopeful the leaders will make progress in their deliberations, but cautioned: "I think it will be a step-by-step process."
For instance, it is understood that among the assurances being sought by Canada is the protection of religious freedoms.
The bulk of the summit's core discussions wrap up Saturday evening.
Harper will attend some of the sessions Sunday morning but will depart early — missing the leaders' final closed-door session and Gillard's public news conference — so he can journey back home and prepare for his next conference, an economic summit of G20 leaders next week in Cannes, France.