The Borneo Post (Sabah)

World leaders commit to ‘extinguish’ Ebola outbreak

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BRISBANE, Australia: Leaders of the world’s most powerful economies yesterday vowed to do all they can to “extinguish” the deadly Ebola outbreak in west Africa, but there were no cash commitment­s.

A statement issued by G20 leaders during their summit in Brisbane came on the heels of the United Nations urging them to intensify their response, warning of a major food crisis if they failed to act.

“G20 members are committed to do what is necessary to ensure the internatio­nal effort can extinguish t he outbreak and address its medium-term economic and humanitari­an costs,” the leaders said.

They added that they would step up their response to a crisis that has left more than 5,000 people dead in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone through “bilateral, regional and multilater­al channels, and in partnershi­p with nongovernm­ental stakeholde­rs”.

“We will share our experience­s of successful­ly fighting Ebola with our partners, i ncluding to promote safe conditions and training for health care and relief workers,” they said.

“We will work to expedite the effective and targeted disburseme­nt of funds and other assistance, balancing between emergency and longer-term needs.”

World Bank president Jim Yong Kim this week called for the establishm­ent of a multibilli­on-dollar contingenc­y fund to ensure relief efforts mobilise immediatel­y when an infection threat such as Ebola or a rogue influenza strain emerges.

There was no mention of this by the G20, but Kim neverthele­ss welcomed the group’s call as “an important commitment to combat Ebola and address the terrible human and economic impact of the outbreak in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone”.

The G20 welcomed the IMF’s initiative to release $300 million to stem t he Ebola outbreak, although the US government wants the Fund to go further in forgiving $100 million in debt owed by Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.

“We ask the IMF and World Bank to explore new, f lexible mechanisms to address the economic effects of future comparable crises,” the G20 leaders said.

Earlier yesterday, UN SecretaryG­eneral Ban Ki-moon joined with internatio­nal aid agencies i n urging more concrete actions to fight the devastatin­g disease.

“I would also like to stress the need to intensify the internatio­nal response to the outbreak of Ebola in West Africa,” Ban told reporters.

“As rates decline in one area, they are rising in others. Transmissi­on continues to outpace the response from the internatio­nal community. I urge the leaders of G20 countries to step up.”

Ban said the secondary impacts of the health crisis could spiral into other areas, including a food crisis, caused by disruption in farming.

“That could provoke a major food crisis affecting one million people across the region,” he said.

A joint petition from internatio­nal aid groups including Oxfam and Save the Children urged the G20 to band together to ensure the right resources are made available i n terms of personnel, equipment and funding.

“This is a chance to stop Ebola in its tracks, and it must not be missed,” said Oxfam Australia chief Helen Szoke.

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 ?? — AFP photo ?? Protesters carry clocks to show time is running out during an Ebola protest event in Brisbane.
— AFP photo Protesters carry clocks to show time is running out during an Ebola protest event in Brisbane.
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