KEY POINTS
Presidents of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone resolve to reach Zero Ebola Infection in 60 days
Communities in parts of Guinea continue to resist response efforts
Overview of Needs and Requirements (ONR) funding gap- USD 1 billion
Key Political and Economic Developments
On 15 February, the Manu River Union (MRU) met at presidential level in Conakry, Guinea. SRSG Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed attended the Summit. The Heads of State and Government of the MRU,
President Alpha Condé of Guinea, President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia, President Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone and Minister Charles Koffi Diby of Cote d’Ivoire representing President Alassane Ouattara , recognized progress made in the fight against Ebola with the support from member states and response partners. The Heads of State committed to achieving ‘Zero Ebola Infection’ within 60 days effective 15 February 2015 and called on the international community to provide all necessary support to meet this objective. They approved the operational framework on infection prevention and control, social mobilization, community engagement, surveillance, cross border collaboration, among others; advocated for a seamless and responsible exit by international partners dictated by the epidemiology and by the adequate transfer of capacity to national institutions.The Presidents endorsed the ‘Post Ebola Socio-Economic Frameworks’ prepared by their Ministers in order to mobilization resources for the revitalization of public institutions, social fabric and economic activities. The Presidents directed their Ministers to harmonize and consolidate country specific and regional approaches, to be presented at the Brussels Donor Conference meeting on 3 March 2015 which aims at mobilizing Ebola Recovery support. They also welcomed World Bank efforts to establish resources dedicated to post Ebola recovery; called strongly on the international community to provide direct budget support and debt cancellation for the affected countries. Addressing the MRU, SRSG Ould Cheikh Ahmed emphasized that national ownership remains paramount in the planning and implementation phases of the EVD response and post-EVD interventions, along with the need to involve local communities. UNMEER provided support the Mano River Union Secretariat in the organization of the Summit.
On 14 February, UNDP Administrator Helen Clark met with UNMEER Liberia ECM Peter Graaff and pillars of action leads as part of her regional visit. Mr. Graaff briefed Ms. Clark on the persisting challenges of stemming Monrovia-based transmission and of IPC and triage compliance. WHO emphasized that training health workers and monitoring compliance (i.e. in wearing gloves and light protective gear), if complied with, would have positive and sustainable impacts on Liberia’s overall public health protocols.
On 13 February in Conakry, Guinea, a crowd burned down an ETU, MSF Office and vehicle following persistent rumours that Ebola responders plan to spray/disinfect schools. Local authorities intervened and restored calm. The National Ebola Coordination Centre is looking into ways to address the rumours, including by engaging parents and school authorities. UNMEER Ebola Crisis Manager in Guinea, Mr. Abdou Dieng, condemned the recent attacks against national and international teams of Ebola responders and called for communities to cooperate with them.