{{New York, 18 September 2014
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Madam President,
I thank you for convening this emergency open debate on Ebola, and for introducing the unanimously adopted resolution 2177 (2014), which was co-sponsored by more than 130 UN member states, including all fifteen (15) members of the Security Council. I join those who have spoken before me to thank our briefers today: Secretary-General Ban Ki- Moon; Dr. David Nabarro, Senior UN system Coordinator for Ebola; Dr. Margaret Chan, Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), and Mr. Jackson Niamah, representative of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) for their insightful briefings and updates on the Ebola epidemic in West Africa.
First and foremost, allow me to pay our respect to the 2,500 victims of Ebola, including the medical staff, and wish quick recovery to those patients who are still fighting with this disease. I take this opportunity to pay tribute to all the medical and non-medical personnel, such as Jackson Niamah, for their selfless dedication on the service of the affected people.
Madam President,
Rwanda commends the United Nations system for its prompt mobilization against the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). WHO, which declared the Ebola epidemic as a public health emergency of international concern, has launched an Ebola Response Roadmap to guide international support efforts; and the UN system as a whole released, early this week, an Overview of Needs and Requirements, outlining required resources to effectively address the crisis in the next six months. In addition to those efforts, we welcome the decision by the Secretary-General to establish a United Nations Mission for the Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER), which will be critical in the mobilization of resources for the fight against Ebola, as well as the much-needed prevention of such disease for the future.
The efforts of the Security Council in support to the peace processes and post-conflict peacebuilding in the three (3) affected countries, as well as the obvious security implications of the Ebola outbreak, justifies the Security Council’s due attention and the decision to hold this open debate. In this respect, Rwanda cannot agree more with a sober assessment of the dangers of Ebola contained in the letter that the Presidents of Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone wrote to the Secretary-General, warning that the gains achieved since the end of the civil war, conflict and instability, as impressive as they have been, are fragile and reversible. We indeed all agree that Ebola’s impact in the affected countries goes beyond a health and humanitarian issue, as it presents security, political and socio-economic implications.
Madam President,
In addition to efforts made by the United Nations system, we welcome the mobilization of regional and sub-regional organizations, such ECOWAS and the African Union, as well as bilateral and multilateral partners, such as the African Development Bank, in the fight against this scourge. We welcome the pledges from around the world to support the response roadmap; be it financial, human and other resources; and Rwanda, as recalled by the Secretary-General, made contributions to this global effort. In particular, we thank you country, Madam President, for the deployment of 3,000 troops to Liberia to support the containment of Ebola, the establishment of additional Ebola Treatment Units in affected areas, as well as the assistance by the United States’ Government, in recruiting, training and organizing medical personnel in the affected countries.
Madam President,
To succeed in curbing the spread of the disease, there is a need to intensify the awareness-raising for the public to avoid the continued stigmatization of the affected countries and peoples. In this context, we recall the decision of the African Union (AU) urging all countries that have suspended or cancelled flights to the affected countries to reconsider their decision, as reiterated by the Secretary General this afternoon. Indeed, these decisions have contributed to further deteriorate the economies of those countries, as well as the humanitarian assistance.
Let me conclude, Madam President, by expressing Rwanda’s appreciation to the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) and the Troop and Police Contributing Countries for standing with Liberians in their implementation of the mandate in this challenging moment.
I thank you.
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