Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, the new Head of the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER), arrived in Accra, Ghana, on Saturday. Along with the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Ebola, Dr. David Nabarro, Mr. Ahmed will visit Liberia and Sierra Leone this week, after which he will then travel to Guinea.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
The United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) announced today that a staff member tested positive for Ebola. This is the fourth case in the Mission. Two UNMIL staff died of the disease three months ago, and another recovered. UNMIL Head Karin Landgren said this new case is a stark reminder of the need to remain vigilant.
The Secretary-General said that the Arms Trade Treaty being entered into force tomorrow was a new chapter in the world’s collective efforts to bring responsibility, accountability and transparency to the global arms trade, as well as a testimony to an international commitment to stop irresponsible arms transfers.
The World Food Programme (WFP), China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation, and Tencent, one of the world’s largest internet companies, have launched a fundraising campaign supporting WFP’s emergency operations to meet basic food needs of affected families and communities in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea, which have been most impacted by Ebola.
The Secretary-General, following his meeting with Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, said there is reason to be cautiously optimistic that the Ebola outbreak can be defeated as the spread of the virus is slowing in Liberia. However, it is not the time to ease our efforts as just one case can trigger an epidemic.
Today is International Migrants Day. In the Secretary-General's message for the Day, he calls for the fulfilment and protection of the human rights of the world’s 232 million migrants.
The Secretary-General condemned today’s attack on a school in Pakistan, which took the lives of more than 130 people, the majority children. He extended his condolences to the people, Government and those touched by the tragedy, and urged the Government of Pakistan to bring the perpetrators of the attack to justice.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights released the latest report from the Monitoring Mission in Ukraine today. He said that the conflict is in its ninth month and the situation is becoming increasingly dire for the population living in the east.
The World Health Organization wrapped up in Geneva a two-day high-level meeting on rebuilding health systems in Ebola-affected countries. Those systems were deemed either not functional or not being used owing to fear of contracting the disease. WHO’s Chief invited Governments to develop country-specific plans.
The Secretary-General took part in the high-level ministerial meeting on climate action at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Lima this morning. With the Peruvian President and First Lady, he visited a reserve in the Andes to see first-hand how local communities are adapting and bolstering resilience to climate change and this afternoon will meet with the Green Climate Fund’s Executive Director, and with the Environment Ministers of Brazil, the Republic of Korea and Canada.