Delivered UN General Assembly address on global polio eradication

Gates addressed world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly specifically on polio eradication, urging governments to maintain financial commitments to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative at a critical moment when transmission had been reduced to just a handful of countries. He pressed for diplomatic backing of vaccination campaigns in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Nigeria — the remaining endemic countries — where political instability and misinformation were threatening progress. His address came as the Foundation had already committed over $1 billion to the effort.