Activities of Secretary-General in Sierra Leone, 19 December

On Friday, 19 December, in the afternoon, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon flew to Freetown, Sierra Leone, the second leg of his visit to Ebola-affected countries in West Africa.  Upon arrival, he met with Ebola response partners and United Nations staff working in the country.

During a visit to Ebola Treatment Unit PTS1 in Hastings, the Secretary-General conversed with health workers and survivors of the disease, including Rebecca Johnson, a caregiver who survived Ebola and then resumed her work in helping infected people.  He said health workers were heroes who showed the most noble face of humankind.  (See Press Release SG/SM/16434.)

The Secretary-General later visited the Western Area Emergency Response Centre in Freetown, before meeting with President Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone.  He highlighted the importance of the Western Area surge to achieving swift and positive progress on bringing the crisis to a close, and pledged ongoing United Nations support for post-Ebola recovery in the country, seeking to restore past socioeconomic achievements.

During a joint press conference with President Koroma, the Secretary-General said that stopping the outbreak would require all the country’s people — Government officials, community leaders, traditional healers and communities themselves — to take ownership of the response.

On Saturday, 20 December, the Secretary-General left Freetown for Conakry, Guinea.