UN sends new envoy to West Africa for Ebola and aid operation to Iraq

World Today

The United Nations has called for more preventative measures in the countries affected by Ebola. CCTV America’s Liling Tan reports from U.N. headquarters in New York.

With Ebola fears on the rise, the United Nations newly-appointed envoy for Ebola, Dr. Nabarro, will be heading to West Africa this week to coordinate the agency’s role in dealing with the Ebola outbreak.

The U.N.’s efforts under Dr. Nabarro will focus on dealing not just with Ebola, but also with the health system that has been burdened by the outbreak. This health system requires supports from the community and provides services to people who need medical help.

Dr. Nabarro had worked with the U.N. in various capacities in the past as well as being a guru on the Avian Flu outbreaks. He said the key lessons learned from having dealt with other health crises is that preparedness is key, and communication and reliable information it is crucial in situations like this that can have major social and economical impact.

He leaves on Wednesday, first to Washington D.C. to meet with officials and organizations including the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), before heading to West Africa on Thursday to the four countries hit by Ebola.

Also, the U.N. is launching one of its largest aid operations in northern Iraq, to help half a million people displaced by the violence. This will involve air, road and sea operations within 24 hours.
The immense number of people who have been displaced is the main reason driving the need for a strong aid response.

The air, land, sea operations will begin August 20, within 24 hours, starting with a four-day airlift from Jordan to Erbil, road convoys from Turkey to Jordan, and sea and land shipments from Dubai, via Iran over ten days. Supplies will also include 3,300 tents, tens of thousands of plastic sheets, kitchen sets, and jerry cans.

This effort involves countries around the world, including Saudi Arabia, the U.S., the U.K., Japan, Denmark, Kuwait, Norway, Sweden, and also one of the U.N.’s corporate partners — the Swedish furniture company IKEA.

UN sends new envoy to West Africa for Ebola and aid operation to Iraq

The United Nations has called for more preventative measures in the countries affected by Ebola.

For more on the situation in Iraq, we spoke with Sarhang Hamasaeed, the Senior Program Officer at United States Institute of Peace, a think tank in Washington, DC.

New situation in Iraq

New situation in Iraq from the interview with the Senior Program Officer at United States Institute of Peace.