Secretary-General Announces Establishment of Ebola Emergency Response Mission

 

Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks today on the establishment of the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER):

With the unanimous adoption of General Assembly resolution 69/1 today, following the historic meeting of the Security Council yesterday, I have now established the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER).  The Mission will provide the operational framework and unity of purpose to ensure the rapid, effective and coherent action necessary to stop the outbreak, to treat the infected, to ensure essential services, to preserve stability and to prevent the spread to countries currently unaffected.  I have issued instructions that UNMEER advance teams deploy to the mission headquarters in Ghana and to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone by Monday, 22 September 2014.

United Nations System Senior Coordinator Dr. David Nabarro will provide strategic guidance to the Mission.  I will appoint a Special Representative to head the Mission and accelerate support to the countries and people most affected by the Ebola crisis.  The Mission will rely on the support of the entire United Nations system, in particular the critical technical expertise of the World Health Organization (WHO), and will work closely with Member States, regional organizations, civil society and the private sector.

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