ADVERTISEMENT

Ebola-hit countries plead with UN for recovery funds

At the UN conference chaired by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the leaders will present their recovery plans for the next two years and seek international pledges of financial aid.

___3961505___https:______static.pulse.com.gh___webservice___escenic___binary___3961505___2015___7___10___20___UN_General_Assembly_hall

The presidents of the worst-hit Ebola countries  Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone have pleaded with the United Nations to help raise recovery funds for their countries.

Over 11,200 people have died in West Africa from the world’s worst outbreak of the virus, with a few new cases uncovered in Liberia last month after the country had been declared Ebola-free.

At the UN conference chaired by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the leaders will present their recovery plans for the next two years and seek international pledges of financial aid.

According to David Nabarro, the UN’s coordinator for the Ebola crisis, "it’s all in an effort to get the countries to receive the resources they need to go to zero, stay at zero and recover”

ADVERTISEMENT

Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe will attend as chair of the African Union along with Guinea’s leader Alpha Conde, Liberia’s Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone.

The World Health Organization has said the three countries are facing a funding gap of $700 million just to rebuild their health systems and provide services until December 2017.

Sunil Saigal, an Ebola coordinator for the UN Development Programme (UNDP) said the countries will be seeking $3.2 billion to “cover the most essential needs” for their health and education systems and the economy,

A separate regional plan requiring $4 billion will be presented at the conference.

JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!

Unblock notifications in browser settings.
ADVERTISEMENT

Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:

Email: eyewitness@pulse.com.gh

ADVERTISEMENT