UN commends President Mahama ; For hosting UNMEER
The United Nations (UN) has commended President John Dramani Mahama for his leadership foresight, courage and inspirational role to host the UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER) in Accra.
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“On behalf of Mr Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary General, I extend the world body’s sincere appreciation for the support and decisive leadership exhibited by President Mahama and the government of Ghana for generously hosting UNMEER at that difficult time,” Mr Maged Abdelaziz, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Africa, stated on behalf of the UN Secretary General in New York.
Mr Abdelaziz made the commendation at a high-level meeting of ECOWAS Ministers in charge of Gender and Women’s Affairs on the margins of the 59th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women in New York.
UNMEER
UNMEER was established on September 19, 2014, as a temporary measure to meet immediate needs related to the fight against Ebola, and Ghana, under the leadership of President Mahama, who is also the current ECOWAS Chairman, accepted to host the mission.
Mr Abdelaziz also commended the ECOWAS President, Mr Kadré Désiré Ouédraogo, and the African Union for supporting and joining global efforts to combat the Ebola disease, especially in the most affected countries.
The President of the Bureau of Ministers of Social Development for ECOWAS, Nana Oye Lithur, who chaired the high-level meeting, recounted that Ebola had caused so much humanitarian disaster, displaced many people, created orphans, and also negatively impacted on the economic fortunes of affected countries and the sub-region as a whole.
She said Ebola recovery measures should address the needs of women, and harness their leadership roles as caregivers, change agents and community leaders.
“It is vital that women are equipped with requisite knowledge on Ebola so that they are able to support the Ebola prevention programmes. We request that the planning, programming, procurement, management, community programmes and recovery processes be made gender sensitive and participatory,” she added.
Ebola impact
The Gender Minister challenged the international community, governments and other stakeholders, to focus on women as key agents of change and social mobilisers with a central role to play in sharing knowledge, raising awareness and enhancing care.
