UNMEER to open office in Mali

The United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER) would open an office in Mali immediately to support national efforts against the Ebola virus.

The move follows a visit by the Head of UNMEER, Secretary-General's Special Representative, Anthony Banbury, to the Sahelian country on November 19, 2014, and a discussion between Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta.

A statement issued by Ari Gaitanis, UNMEER Head of Public Information Unit, and copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on Saturday, said while there to discuss if UNMEER support was needed, the Special Representative met a range of national and international partners involved in the country's Ebola response, including President Keïta, Minister of Health and Public Hygiene, Ousmane Koné, and the National Response Co-ordinator, Professor Samba Sow.

It said in their meeting, President Keïta and the Special Representative discussed the world body's efforts to support Mali's Ebola response and the possibility of establishing an office of UNMEER in the country.

It said Ban Ki-moon spoke with President Keïta, and the latter confirmed his request for a UNMEER presence; subsequently, the Secretary-General instructed his Special Representative to open an office immediately.

The statement said the Special Representative noted that the Government of Mali had taken action to deal with Ebola within its borders, and it was important that lessons learnt from other countries dealing with Ebola were applied while strong, decisive action was taken now in the disease's early stages in the country.

Mr Banbury also noted the crucial role played by the international community in supporting national efforts in fighting the disease.

"UNMEER is committed to supporting the Government of Mali's Ebola response efforts," he said, adding; "the country has a small number of cases now and this means there is a chance to end it quickly before it becomes a true crisis the way it has become in other countries."

The UNMEER office would be tailored to support Mali's response efforts, with three expected areas of focus: reinforcing the country's operational response, strengthening the country's level of preparedness and assisting with cross-border co-ordination of Ebola efforts between Malian and Guinean authorities.

UNMEER would review the needs of its Mali office's operations in two months.