On 7 November, over 1,600 representatives from the United Nations, Rotary clubs, and Rotary programs attended Rotary UN Day, an event dedicated to celebrating the close relationship between Rotary and the United Nations, including their progress and continued efforts toward achieving the UN Millennium Development Goals.
 
The UN has recognized the work of Rotary's international service programs in achieving these goals. In countless World Community Service projects, Rotary clubs from different countries have become partners in tackling large-scale issues in areas such as poverty, education, gender equality, and the environment. Rotary Volunteers from around the world have administered the polio vaccine during National Immunization Days, an integral part of Rotary's work to eradicate the disease. Through efforts such as these, Rotary is doing its part to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. Learn more about Rotary's collaboration with the UN and other organizations.

The modern state of Pakistan was created as a homeland for Muslims after the partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947. Today, it is home to 180.8 million people. Islam is the dominant religion, and there are six major languages: English, Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashto, and Balochi. Pakistan's main exports include cotton, leather goods, rice, and textile products. The country extends from the Himalayas to the Arabian Sea, and its capital is Islamabad. 
 
Pakistan's Medium-Term Development Framework outlines its strategy for meeting the UN Millennium Development Goals by 2015. By the end of the 2009-10 fiscal year, the government plans to have doubled its spending on health and education as a percentage of the country's gross domestic product (GDP). It aims to increase poverty-reduction spending to 6.49 percent of GDP in 2010, which is 2.24 percent higher than it was in 2004-05. Challenges to reducing poverty include inflation due to high commodity prices and growing deficits as a result of increased liabilities on public funds.
 
Other achievements include successful vaccination campaigns against measles and polio. Pakistan vaccinated over 63 million children against measles in April 2008, the largest campaign to date. There has also been a reduction in the number of polio cases, which dropped from 117 in 2008 to 81 cases to date in 2009. Polio vaccination campaigns reach 95 percent of targeted children (32 million) at least four times a year.
 
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