The UN Foundation's Board of Directors met in India to explore and highlight how public-private partnerships can help power global sustainability.
India's recent success with regard to polio eradication served as an example and case study upon which to build.
26 March 2012: The Board of Directors of the UN Foundation has shared strategies for advancing global sustainability through public-private partnerships, highlighting the eradication of polio in India as a recent success story.
The Board met with government, business and civil society leaders from 26-30 March 2012, in Bangalore and New Delhi, India, to explore first-hand how strategic and innovative partnerships are helping to create a more sustainable future for India and for the world in general.
The meeting took place in the context of the UN Foundation’s long-standing cooperation with India to address global problems, including: widespread vaccination campaigns; improvements in energy access and efficiency; micro-grid and stand-alone energy solutions for communities that lack access to electricity; reproductive, and women’s and children’s health; and cleaner cookstoves and fuels. As part of this cooperation, India recently reached a major milestone with regards to polio eradication, marking a full year without a single new case. UN Foundation Founder and Chair Ted Turner highlighted that, “India’s success in the fight against polio proves that cooperation works. It is an example of how a rapidly transforming India can lead the world into a healthier, more prosperous, and more environmentally sustainable century.”
The UN Foundation and India plan to build on this successful case study for disease eradication and reduce deaths from other infectious diseases, such as measles. [UN Foundation Press Release]