Sen. Franken Leads Effort to Press Other Nations to Contribute to Ebola Fight
Senators Ask UN Secretary General to Press Member Nations to Do Their Part in Fight Against Virus Outbreak
U.S. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) led a group of Senators in asking United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to press UN member nations to step up and do their part in the fight against the Ebola virus.
In the letter, which you can read here or below, Sen. Franken said the United States has led the international effort to combat Ebola and asked the United Nations members to step up their funding efforts in order to contain the virus.
"If the international community continues to drag its feet, the cost of Ebola containment could increase by ten-fold, according to recent estimates—to say nothing of the threat to individuals around the world," wrote the Senators. "While we commend you for your organization's recent innovative efforts to increase the private sector's role in the Ebola response, it will take every resource available to meet the challenges of this crisis. As the U.N. Secretary-General, we urge you to utilize your leadership position and the power of your bully pulpit to ensure a more robust and urgent commitment from U.N. member states in this fight."
Sen. Franken led the letter which was also signed by Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.). You can read the full text of today's letter here or below.
November 21, 2014
Dear Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:
As you know, the Ebola outbreak in Western Africa continues to threaten global health. The unprecedented outbreak has already cost thousands of lives in Western Africa, devastating the region's economy, and threatening food security for up to 2 million people. Failure to curb this disease now would risk Ebola becoming endemic to the region and increase its likely spread to the rest of the globe, including the United States. A serious global effort is necessary to fight this virus outbreak. We urge you to press member nations to do their part in this global effort.
Addressing the U.N. General Assembly, Anthony Banbury, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for Ebola Emergency Response declared that "Ebola is a fearsome enemy and we will not win by chasing it. We must get ahead of it." The United States has and will continue to step up its funding and resource allocation in order to fight this disease in Western Africa. However, we are concerned that many countries in the international community have failed to follow suit. While the U.S. has led the way with nearly $400 million in humanitarian response to Ebola thus far, many other U.N. member states have not responded similarly. We are therefore writing to you today to urge you to do everything in your power to get U.N. member states who have watched from the sidelines to step up and do their part.
In addition to securing further funding from member states, it is also imperative that current pledges are rapidly converted into money on the ground. With nearly a billion dollars in pledges toward the Ebola response, we can begin to contain this humanitarian tragedy. These funds would result in the construction of Ebola treatment units and community care centers, training for healthcare workers and burial teams, and the development of medical countermeasures.
If the international community continues to drag its feet, the cost of Ebola containment could increase by ten-fold, according to recent estimates—to say nothing of the threat to individuals around the world. While we commend you for your organization's recent innovative efforts to increase the private sector's role in the Ebola response, it will take every resource available to meet the challenges of this crisis. As the U.N. Secretary-General, we urge you to utilize your leadership position and the power of your bully pulpit to ensure a more robust and urgent commitment from U.N. member states in this fight.
Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter and please don't hesitate to contact us.
Sincerely,
