A former President, Olusegun Obasanjo; wife of the late Nelson Madela, Graca Machel, and popular singer Akon were among 51 signatories of an open citizens’ call to action against Ebola.
In an open letter, former heads of state
as well as leaders from civil society and business called for more
solidarity and a more coordinated approach to deal with the Ebola
outbreak in West Africa.
The letter read, “As the Ebola virus
becomes an overwhelming human catastrophe affecting public health,
social institutions and economic well-being in Africa, we stand in
solidarity with our fellow citizens in the countries victimised by this
deadly disease.
“We also thank and salute the local and
international health workers who are risking their lives daily,
intervening on the ground to eradicate the scourge of Ebola, often
without access to gloves and other protective supplies.
“We acknowledge and applaud the decision
of the Economic Community of West African States’ health ministers to
call for the lifting of travel bans to Ebola affected countries, which
are hampering the fight against Ebola and restricting the arrival of
essential expertise and equipment, as well as fuel to provide
electricity, medications to treat other deadly diseases such as malaria
and food to prevent famine.
“In the name and interest of our common humanity, we are collectively launching this urgent Citizens’ Call to Action.
“We call on our respective Heads of
State and Government to avoid full embargo against Ebola-affected
states. While we understand the legitimate concerns for the protection
of their population, we remind African leaders of their obligation to
pan-African solidarity and the global community of their humanitarian
obligations in emergencies.
“We urge the following immediate actions:
One
Ensure that the flow of essential
assistance can reach those in need, while maintaining economic activity
necessary for sustaining life in cities and villages, by
•Authorising and implementing the local recommendations issued by the World Health Organisation
•Acknowledging the impossibility of
quarantining entire nations and instead establish much-needed economic
and humanitarian corridors of access – essential lifelines – both within
the affected countries and between countries.
Two
We call on African opinion leaders –
including artists, athletes, filmmakers, writers, journalists, academics
– to initiate or to actively take part in public information campaigns
on prevention and transmission of the Ebola. These can happen via
road-shows, film screenings, theatrical pieces, discussion groups, and
the distribution of messages via cellphone networks. And we call upon
global opinion leaders to add their talents and voices in support.
Three
We call on the broad private sector, the
pharmaceutical industry, and the research community, in particular, to
fund, facilitate and make immediately available access to all known
methods of prevention and treatment of this menacing threat to our
global well-being.
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