17 October 2014
UN Secretary-General regarding Ebola: ‘We all have a responsibility to act’
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on the international community to step up its efforts to respond to the Ebola crisis and turn pledges into action, while the World Health Organization warned of continuously deteriorating situation in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
‘Ebola is a huge and urgent global problem that demands a huge and urgent global response’, Ban Ki-moon said. ‘Dozens of countries are showing their solidarity. But we need to turn pledges into action. We need more doctors, nurses, equipment, treatment centres and medevac capacities.’ The Secretary-General appealed to the international community to provide the USD 1 billion that will enable the UN and partners to ‘get ahead of the curve’ and meet the target of reducing the rate of transmission by 1 December 2014.
In addition to the recent establishment of UNMEER to coordinate and scale up action, the UN Secretary-General said he has formed a Global Ebola Response Coalition. ‘Ebola can be beaten if we work together effectively. We all have a responsibility to act’, he stressed.
Source: UN News Centre | UN chief stresses need for urgent global action as Ebola continues deadly rampage