[D9640general] [eFlash_Rotary] Digest Number 583

[Garry & Anne Krischock]

1. 1187: Kofi Annan's special adviser praises Rotary's grassroots effor 
Posted by: "Sunil K Zachariah" sunilkzach at yahoo.co.uk   sunilkzach 
Sun Jul 16, 2006 11:08 pm (PST) 
Kofi Annan's special adviser praises Rotary's grassroots efforts

By Vukoni Lupa-Lasaga
Rotary International News

Rotary is an outstanding example of ordinary people changing the 
world through citizen action, says renowned economist Jeffrey Sachs 
in an article published in Asian newspapers in the last week of 
June. 

In the piece featured in Taipei Times, of Taiwan, and Daily News, of 
Pakistan, Sachs writes that instead of waiting for politicians and 
public agencies to act, Rotarians have led the way toward the goal 
of eradicating polio worldwide. 

"Rotary took on the challenge of getting vaccines to the poor, in 
regions with weak or nonexistent public health systems," he 
notes. "Rotarians dreamed not only of reducing the number of polio 
cases but of eradicating the disease entirely."

Sachs says that the progress made against polio, a 99 percent 
reduction in cases, is historic and that despite some last-minute 
difficulties the goal of eradicating the disease is now within 
reach. 

"More importantly, Rotary's leadership on polio offers a more 
general lesson in the fight against extreme poverty, hunger, and 
disease," he says. 

Improving the lives of all the world's citizens is a concern that 
Sachs, who is special adviser to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, 
shares with Rotarians. He has authored The End of Poverty, a best-
selling book that discusses the economics of eradicating poverty, 
and speaks on the issue at every forum available to him, from 
summits of world leaders to gatherings of volunteers. 

On 14 June, Sachs, who also is head of the UN Millennium Project, 
made a keynote address at the 2006 RI Convention, in which he 
identified Rotary's grassroots approach to humanitarian initiatives 
as key to ending poverty. The Millennium Project promotes the 
Millennium Development Goals adopted by world leaders at the 2000 UN 
Summit in New York. 

In the newspaper article, Sachs expands on the idea that volunteer 
organizations like Rotary are indispensable to the success of the 
Millennium Development Goals. 

"Even when politicians don't lead, it is still possible for 
committed individuals and voluntary organizations to change the 
world," says Sachs. "The key is to link a bold idea with a practical 
and powerful technology, and then to push the idea and technology 
forward through mass citizen action."

Source: R I Website
Courtesy: eFlash_Rotary

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