UN
UN Ebola response chief calls for shared resources at regional technical meeting
National leaders from across West Africa met in Monrovia, Liberia on Tuesday to discuss strategies for improved communication and cooperation as they work to stop the Ebola outbreak and ensure that cases do not cross borders.
The one-day regional technical meeting saw representatives from the four affected countries, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Mali, as well as neighboring countries, Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire, and Nigeria, come together with technical and bilateral partners, and the UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER) to develop an integrated and joint strategy for cross-border response.
The Head of UNMEER, Anthony Banbury, encouraged the leaders to continue their dialogue and develop mechanisms for shared resources, capacities and information.
"We need to be smart, we need to be practical, we need to be creative,” said Banbury, “and we need to do things in a different way than we normally do in the aid, public health, disaster, peacekeeping, or political world."
Despite efforts by governments of the affected countries and the international community, the Ebola outbreak continues to rage in West Africa where cross-border movements, travel and trade heighten the risk infection even for countries unaffected so far.
The Ebola virus spread from its source in Guinea to several West African countries. This is largely due to the similarities in the border regions, including cultural and religious traditions that ignore national boundaries.
“We have all recognized from the early stages of this crisis the fact that the disease moves across borders; that if it’s present in one country, it’s a risk to the peoples of all the countries of the sub-region and indeed beyond. That’s been clear from the beginning,” said Banbury. “But we need to act on that recognition and design the fight against Ebola in a way that takes into account those realities.”
UNMEER supported this meeting at the request of the Government of Liberia, which sought to bring together national representatives with leading experts to devise a way forward.
The biggest challenge, according to Banbury, is the global systems and structures currently in place, which operate within the confines of national frontiers.
“The UN system looks at things within national borders. National governments of course look at things within national borders. Major donors have funding programs that look at supporting programs in a national way,” said Banbury. “So we have to really work to change the way we normally operate so that we can put in place the most effective response to combat this crisis of Ebola.”
Borders, he said, “represent in some ways the biggest obstacle to doing that.”
A summit of Heads of States from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone and Mali is scheduled for next week to review and endorse recommendations and commitments made at the technical regional meeting.
