Statement on Days of Tranquillity for Polio Eradication

Days of Tranquillity are truces negotiated to immunize children from Polio. With the destruction of the primary health care system, population movements, and inadequate food supply, children and women living in countries affected by conflict are among the most vulnerable in the world. Because the polio virus is highly infectious, all countries are at risk of polio until the disease is eradicated from every country on earth, especially countries in conflict. If polio is not eradicated in conflict countries, there is a risk that the global polio eradication initiative will fail, leading both to a resurgence of the disease and the loss of the billions of dollars invested so far. Accordingly, there is a need for additional Days of Tranquillity in conflict countries where the polio virus remains endemic.

The IASC requests that the ERC, in coordination with UNICEF and WHO, formally explore the need for and feasibility of Days of Tranquillity in the countries affected by conflict where polio remains endemic.