UN Deputy Secretary General Jan Eliasson said "Ebola is an unforgiving and a frightening disease, but, it can be defeated." Eliasson called, at the General Assembly on Friday, for solidarity and effective coordination to face Ebola.
The crisis is multi-dimensional, he said, with serious effects not only on public health but also on food security, on social cohesion, on economic and political stability.
The UN official stressed defeating Ebola demands the best efforts of all working together.
Governments, multilateral development banks, international and nongovernmental organizations and many others. He also noted that of the USD one billion sought by UN agencies, only one quarter has been funded.
He highlighted the need for a surge in trained healthcare personnels.
UN Secretary Generalآ’s Special Envoy on Ebola, Dr David Nabarro, and the Head of the UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER), Anthony Banbury, also briefed the General Assembly on the public health crisis emanating from the Ebola virus outbreak.
Nabarro said that the current crisis was an unprecedented challenge due to its impact on the whole world. The outbreak is advancing ahead of the control efforts, he warned.
On his part, the Head of UNMEER, Banbury, spoke from Accra, Ghana, following his weeklong visit to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone to set up the regional offices of the Mission. He confirmed that the virus is far ahead of the response and has a serious impact on economies and health systems in affected countries.
In this context, the President of the General Assembly Sam Kutesa urged Member States to follow through on their commitments and pledges of support. Kutesa stressed the crisis requires bold, urgent and coordinated action on the part of the international community, "Your pledges of support are a vital component of the global response," he said.