To celebrate 75 years of cooperation and a shared history of working together toward a healthier and more peaceful world, Rotary presented the United Nations (UN) and its agencies, the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, with its highest recognition: The Rotary Award of Honor.

Accepting the award presented by Past Rotary International President Mark Daniel Maloney, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on 23 November, "My profound gratitude to Rotary. Through me, you are also recognizing the United Nations and our efforts to build a healthier, safer, and more peaceful world."

Receiving the award on behalf of the WHO on 25 February, Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, "Rotary is a vital partner for WHO, and our partnership has brought us to the threshold of an historic achievement over polio."

Rotary, WHO, and UNICEF, along with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, launched the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988. Since then, nearly 3 billion children have been immunized against polio in 122 countries, and polio cases have been reduced 99.9 percent worldwide –including the recent certification of the African region as free of the wild poliovirus. This public-private partnership also includes the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. "Our progress toward ending polio demonstrates the positive impact we can have when we work together," said Maloney.

After receiving the award on 23 November 2020 on behalf of UNICEF -- Executive Director Henrietta Fore said, "UNICEF's partnership with Rotary is one of our most cherished relationships. Our work together to end polio has been lifesaving and historic."

As the world fights the coronavirus pandemic, the global health infrastructure that has brought polio to the brink of eradication is now being used to help protect communities from COVID-19. "The world is benefiting from the infrastructure that the polio eradication initiative has built over the last three decades," said Rotary International President Holger Knaack.

Rotary has awarded more than $32 million to club projects that support communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Rotary Award of Honor was established in 1990 to be given to heads of state and other dignitaries who have made a significant contribution to international understanding and goodwill. Past recipients include His Holiness Pope Francis, Pranab Mukherjee, then president of India, Queen Elizabeth II, and Bill Gates.

Rotary holds the highest consultative status offered to a non-governmental organization by the UN's Economic and Social Council, which oversees many specialized UN agencies. Each year, Rotary celebrates the organizations' shared vision for peace and highlights the critical humanitarian activities around the world.