Activities of Secretary-General in Washington, D.C., 8-9 October
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon travelled to Washington, D.C., on 8 October to participate in several meetings being held as part of the annual fall meetings of the World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund (IMF).
That evening, he had a working dinner with the President of the World Bank, Jim Yong Kim.
The following morning, he spoke at a meeting convened by President Kim at the World Bank on Ebola. The Secretary-General noted the fear sparked by the epidemic and added that the best antidote to fear is an effective and urgent response. (See Press Release SG/SM/16240.)
He commended the World Bank for approving $400 million in grants and loans for the three affected countries, and the African Development Bank for its swift intervention.
The Secretary-General said that at least a 20-fold surge in assistance is needed, including mobile laboratories, vehicles, helicopters, protective equipment, trained medical personnel, and medevac capacities.
Following that meeting, the Secretary-General met with the United Kingdom Secretary of State for International Development, Justine Greening. He thanked the United Kingdom for its response to the Ebola epidemic and its deployment of key assets in West Africa to help in the response to Ebola.
He also met with Christiana Figueres, the head of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, who discussed with him the progress made since the Climate Change Summit convened in New York by the Secretary-General on 23 September 2014.
The Secretary-General then participated in the World Bank Conference on Clean Water, Improved Sanitation, and Better Health for Haiti.
He said that, for decades, water and sanitation have been neglected in Haiti, with serious consequences for public health. He added that we now need to catch up. We must help the Haitian people. We must bring access to water, sanitation and health care within reach of every Haitian. (See Press Release SG/SM/16242.)
As of today, the Secretary-General said, the $2.2 billion, 10-year National Plan is just 10 per cent funded. While a lot has been done, there is clearly much more to do.
The Secretary-General concluded his participation in the World Bank meeting by speaking at its Meeting on Post-2015 Financing for Development.
He stressed the importance of the third International Conference on Financing for Development, to be held in July 2015 in Addis Ababa. He said that the Conference will review the implementation of the Monterrey Consensus and Doha Declaration. It will also address new challenges and emerging issues. (See Press Release SG/SM/16243.)
The Secretary-General left Washington later in the day, to travel onward to Tunisia.