UN to consult gov’ts of Ebola-affected countries on support

The United Nations has concluded a four-day meeting on strengthening the international community's support to efforts by the Governments of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone to tackle the Ebola crisis.

A press release issued by the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER) and copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Accra said the meeting produced an operational framework to ensure the United Nations adopts a unified and coordinated approach to the international support being provided to national response plans.

It was attended by the Chef de Cabinet of the Secretary-General, Susana Malcorra; the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Margaret Chan and the Executive Director of the World Food Programme, Etharin Cousin. Also present were the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General on Ebola, Dr. David Nabarro; and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER), Anthony Banbury.

Those participating in the meeting also included senior officials from UN agencies, funds and programmes, as well as from international partners such as the World Bank, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and the UK Department for International Development.

“All partners at the meeting reaffirmed the principle of moving rapidly and in a coordinated and precise manner to defeat the disease”, the release said.

It said Mr. Banbury will return to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone next week to further consult with their leaders on the way forward and to brief them on the operational plans produced in the meetings that were concluded earlier today.

The Governments of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone – each of which has the final decision on the overall approach and strategy for dealing with Ebola in their respective countries – have national response plans in place and have been responding to the crisis for many months.