UN chief urges massive, immediate global response over Ebola

UN Secretary General Ban Ki- moon on Tuesday called for "massive and immediate" global response to tackle the Ebola outbreak which has claimed nearly 5,000 lives in West Africa since earlier this year.
Ban made the remarks while meeting with Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Chairperson of the AU Commission, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, and delegations from the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the EU Commission, at the AU Headquarters in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa.
Speaking at the opening session of the meeting, the secretary underscored the need to beef up global response to address Ebola outbreak.
The world is facing an unprecedented Ebola outbreak with more than 10,000 cases and 4,900 deaths in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, noted Ban Ki-moon.
Therefore, the secretary general emphasized the need to strengthen global response and regional partnership in the battle against Ebola epidemic.
"Ebola is a major global crisis and that demands a massive and immediate global response. No country or organization can defeat Ebola alone. We all have a role to play. This is why effective regional partnership is so vital in this battle," noted the secretary general.
He commended African nations and other partners for the contributions made in pledges of human resources and logistics to the fight against Ebola.
Ban lauded the decision made by Ethiopia, Burundi, Nigeria, and DR Congo to deploy medical personnel in the Ebola-hit countries.
"Regional solidarity is crucial. And I salute their courage and dedication," he said.
Commending the AU Commission for galvanizing regional effort through the deployment of AU Support to Ebola outbreak in West Africa (ASEOWA), the UN chief assured the support from his organization to the success of the mission by the pan-African bloc.
"I encourage this mission to coordinate closely with the UN mission for Ebola emergency response. I assure UN support and coordination to the success of your mission," he said.
Ban stated that UN is mobilizing to deploy resources and personnel to the affected countries in the West Africa region.
World Bank President Jim Yong Kim reiterated that the epidemic is a global crisis.
"This is not an African crisis; this is not a crisis in West Africa; it is not a crisis just in the three countries. It is a global crisis," he said.
Speaking to the press Monday in Addis Ababa, the President said, "Ebola has been a wake-up call for many of us."
Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Chairperson of the AU Commission, revealed that AU is encouraged by the response from the economic community of West African states (ECOWAS) and others.
Recalling that she just returned from a visit to Ebola-affected countries and their neighbors, Dlamini-Zuma said her delegation was humbled by the efforts, the determination, the courage and the resilience of the peoples and governments of the countries in the West Africa region.
"We are greatly encouraged by the response of over 1000 health workers pledged to date: from ECOWAS, the East African Community, the DRC, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and others. This is in addition to the in-kind and financial support already provided and pledged by member states to the governments of the three countries," said the chairperson.
"We call on other Member States that have not yet responded, to do so in the spirit of solidarity. Every African country must send health workers, no matter how small the number, because in the spirit of solidarity it gives strength to our brothers and sisters in the three countries, that we are with them in this fight," she said.
"We now have to work with the governments concerned and with our African and international partners to ensure that we raise the resources to ensure the effective deployment of these health workers as soon as possible in the three countries," she added.
Along with the World Bank Group president and officials of other partner organizations, the UN Secretary General is making a joint tour to the Horn of Africa to link peace efforts with economic progress in the region.