UNITED NATIONS, September 23 (RIA Novosti) - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday named Anthony Banbury as his Special Representative and Head of the UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response, and David Nabarro as his Special Envoy for Ebola.
These appointments follow the unanimous adoption of General Assembly resolution 69/1 on September 19, and the adoption of Security Council resolution 2177 on the Ebola outbreak.
Ban will convene a high level meeting on Ebola on September 25, which is to be attended by Alpha Condé, President of the Republic of Guinea. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, President of the Republic of Liberia and Ernest Bai Koroma, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, are to join the meeting via a teleconference.
According to the UN, this high level meeting "will bring together global leaders to focus international attention to combat the outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease. It aims to mobilize an exceptional response to contain and stop the spread of the virus, treat those who are infected, ensure essential services, preserve stability and prevent outbreaks in other countries."
This Ebola outbreak was first reported in the beginning of the year in Guinea and then spread to Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Senegal. The Ebola death toll in West Africa has risen to more than 2,800 since the epidemic started, according to the latest WHO estimates.
