The 100th annual Rotary International Convention kicked off in Birmingham, England on Sunday, bringing together nearly 15,000 Rotarians from 154 countries to discuss practical solutions to the world’s biggest humanitarian problems. The four-day-long event features a keynote address from Nobel Laureate Desmond Tutu and a speech by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, who shares a home country with Rotary International president Dong Kurn Lee.

Addressing the convention’s opening assembly, the Secretary General commended Rotarians for advancing social justice and continuing its decades-long fight to eradicate polio. Ban received a Polio Champion Award for using his international influence at the UN to promote Rotary’s PolioPlus program, which has already vaccinated more 5 million children worldwide. Ban’s appearance exemplifies the close relationship between Rotary and the UN, dating back to the UN’s inception in the aftermath of World War II when a number of Rotarians contributed to the drafting of the UN Charter. Ban asked Rotarians to continue their dedication to solving global crises like climate change, hunger and education for the world’s poor.

At Monday’s plenary session, Rotarians heard from Clarissa Brocklehurst, UNICEF’s chief of water, sanitation and hygiene. She urged Rotarians to work towards building much needed infrastructure in the developing world to improve access to clean water, and develop hygiene education programs to teach communities about the importance of proper sanitation. According to UNICEF, more than 1 billion people worldwide lack access to water, and upwards of 2.5 million don’t have proper sanitation, contributing to water borne diseases like diarrhea–the second largest killer of children in the world.

Founded in 1905, Rotary is the second largest service organization in the world and has been recognized as a global leader on issues ranging from polio eradication to child mortality. Dedicated to providing large scale humanitarian aid from the private sector while maintaining the highest professional ethical standards, the organization boasts a membership of 1.2 million professionals worldwide.

photo credit: nycapbarista’s Flickr photostream (creative commons)