UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon on Wednesday announced the appointments of three crisis managers respectively for Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, where the Ebola epidemic is spreading and having disruptive effect.
An announcement issued by his spokesperson said Ban appointed Marcel Rudasingwa of Rwanda as Ebola Crisis Manager for Guinea, Peter Jan Graaff of the Netherlands as Manager for Liberia and Amadu Kamara of the United States as Manager for Sierra Leone.
In their respective roles, the Crisis Managers will work with their host Government along with key stakeholders in ensuring a rapid and effective international response to the Ebola crisis within their respective country. The appointments are part of the newly established United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER).
Rudasingwa brings great value of service with United Nations Children’s Fund for almost 20 years, having served extensively in various senior management and leadership functions in Kenya, Mali, Guinea and Denmark, according to the announcement.
Graaff has a wealth of experience in international health issues along with international affairs, having served extensively with the World Health Organization in a number of countries in Africa, Afghanistan and Haiti, along with more recently leading the Civil Affairs and Development team within the United Nations Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).
Kamara has a diverse portfolio spanning the continent of Africa in international affairs. He has served extensively with the world organization in various senior management support functions and other roles in Liberia, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Timor Leste, Haiti, and Lebanon.
The outbreak of Ebola, a highly contagious and fatal virus transmitted through close contact with the infected, has spread rapidly across West Africa since early cases were detected in March, leaving thousands of sick and dead in its wake and sowing panic among local communities.
The United Nations continues to ramp up its response to the unprecedented outbreak. The Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2177 on Sept. 18 declaring the Ebola a threat to international peace and security.
The establishment of UNMEER, the first-ever UN emergency health mission, followed the unanimous adoption of a General Assembly resolution adopted on Sept. 19 to provide a platform for wide- ranging international efforts to put an end to the spread of the disease. The UN committee on administrative and budgetary issues on Tuesday approved funding of 49.9 million U.S. dollars for the Mission
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