Our year
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Jennifer Jones made history as Rotary’s first — but not last — female president. Throughout her presidency, Jones invited members to Imagine Rotary and how we can build on what we are today to reach what we can be in the future. She appointed Rotaractors, members with specific skills, and past district governors as her presidential representatives to help inspire and motivate participants at district conferences in new ways.
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We renewed our longstanding partnership toward ending polio with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, announcing a joint commitment of up to US$450 million to support global polio eradication efforts. We also pledged US$150 million toward polio eradication at Global Citizen Live.
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On World Polio Day, Rotary clubs in 118 countries held events to raise awareness in their communities about eradicating polio. We also collaborated with the World Health Organization to host World Polio Day 2022 and Beyond, a forum where medical experts and global leaders discussed polio eradication, maternal and child health, and community-based solutions to improve people’s health worldwide.
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We honored six Rotary members as People of Action: Champions of Inclusion for demonstrating what’s possible when we come together to build a sense of belonging, openness, and respect for all people through Rotary.
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Bahçeşehir University in Istanbul, Turkey, was announced as the host of the newest Rotary Peace Center. It will offer a one-year professional development certificate in peace and development studies for fellows who focus on peacebuilding efforts in the Middle East or North Africa.
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The Rotary Foundation established dedicated funds to help those affected by flooding in Pakistan, the war in Ukraine, and earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. Overall, we provided US$14.8 million in disaster response grant funding to help after natural disasters and conflict.
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Chin Mei Lu of the Rotary Club of Taipei Taimei, Taiwan, received the Sylvia Whitlock Leadership Award. Named for the first female Rotary club president, the award honors a Rotary member who has actively worked to advance women in Rotary.
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In a five-part webinar series aimed at helping members develop and carry out service activities that increase our impact, we shared strategies for planning projects, finding resources, partnering with young leaders, promoting projects, and measuring the results.
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We conducted our second survey as part of our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and nearly 53,000 current and former Rotary members shared their thoughts about and experiences with DEI. We’re using the results to strengthen our approach and guide us forward.
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United to End Cervical Cancer in Egypt is the 2023 Programs of Scale $2 million award recipient. The program aims to reduce the number of cervical cancer cases by encouraging HPV vaccination for girls, promoting screenings for women, and raising awareness in and around Cairo about how to prevent cervical cancer.
