Africa’s Ebola victims suffer as two worlds fall apart

BRISBANE and Freetown have nothing in common, and the 17 500km distance between the cities in Australia and Sierra Leone is the least of their differences. But last weekend, the two were linked when G20 leaders meeting in Queensland discussed West Africa’s suffering in the face of Ebola, the worst humanitarian crisis of this year.

One of the key successes celebrated by the leaders was their agreement to commit to lifting the G20’s GDP by at least an additional 2% by 2018. This includes a reduction in the gender gap, bringing 100 million women into the labour force by 2025. However, on Ebola the G20 was a failure for many, including the thousands of protesters holding slogans asking G20 leaders to “Please act now on Ebola”.

Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene said this week that “South Africa raised the Ebola crisis in West Africa for inclusion in discussions at the G20 leaders summit . . . We are indeed concerned . . . and led the inclusion of matters that relate to Ebola at the G20 level.”

This is significant, given that South Africa is the only African member of the G20 and must therefore use its voice to speak on vital matters concerning the continent.

Unfortunately, South Africa’s efforts did little to deliver the concrete action needed by the UN for a more effective and resourced response to the Ebola crisis. No new cash or human resources were pledged in Brisbane to fight the epidemic.

Instead, the G20 issued a statement on Ebola that seemed to back away from specific commitments from governments: it could only “invite” other governments to respond, whereas it “urges” the pharmaceutical sector, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund to do so. Due to this lack of response by the G20, there is a real risk that the UN’s December 1 target for turning the tide on Ebola will not be met.

The US, UK, European Union, Canada, China and Germany are leading the way, but, overall, the G20 summit’s response appeared to be one of more talk than action.

The crisis has devastated Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. Families and communities have been torn apart, distrust and fear have spread and parents are afraid to touch their children, about 4 000 of whom have lost one or both parents, and many of whom have been abandoned.

Health services have collapsed, and other diseases are going untreated. Household income is dropping, poverty levels are rising and many may be hungry next year. In addition, schools are closed.

The crisis has wiped out years of development gains — hard-won after brutal civil wars and autocratic leadership — and is threatening to increase the fragility of the countries and the stability of the region.

According to the World Bank, the economic impact of Ebola is already serious: higher fiscal deficits, rising prices, lower real household incomes and greater poverty, foregone productivity and aversion behaviour of others. The short-term impact is 2% to 3% of GDP for each country, amounting to $359-million (about R3.9-billion). The economic impact could be catastrophic in a worst-case scenario, amounting to losses of $32.6-billion in West Africa by the end of next year.

The G20 leaders might not have stepped up to the action needed to support a more effective and resourced response by the UN on Ebola, but it is not too late to act. After a slow start, many donors are now showing significant generosity. But more needs to be done to turn the epidemic around.

As Australia exits its presidency of the G20 this year, all eyes will be on Turkey, which takes on the leadership of the G20 in 2015. The country has paved the way with a recent announcement of a new contribution of $5-million towards the Ebola response, showing G20 leaders that it is time to step up, post-Brisbane.

We urge G20 countries to rapidly deliver the promised financial and medical support to Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea to help bring an end to the suffering of their citizens.

South Africa has a key role to play in keeping the pressure on G20 world leaders to take urgent action now to address the acute global health and humanitarian crisis of Ebola.

Goldman is the governance adviser of Oxfam in South Africa