A U.N. envoy has said that governments and international organizations plan
to meet in March to work out how to rebuild three West African nations whose
economies have been shattered by Ebola.
Though the number of newly detected cases of Ebola virus infection has been
dropping sharply in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia in recent weeks, the three
countries are still reeling from the impact of the outbreak.
The World Bank last January reported that they would lose over 12 percent of
their combined economic output, approximately $1.6 billion, this year.
Pre-Ebola economic growth forecasts have been slashed.
David Nabarro, the U.N. special envoy on Ebola, said that, "The plans
at the moment are for a conference to look at the needs of reconstruction
organized by the countries themselves, by the United Nations, by the African
Union and by the European Union."
He said that the gathering was expected to be on March 3 in Brussels.
David Nabarro noted that, "By that time we anticipate to start to have
estimates for what the whole recovery and revival will cost."
Although the number of Ebola infections detected is clearly falling 'to
actually get to zero cases is the hardest part,' Nabarro said.
The United Nations needed $1.5 billion to finance its response to the crisis
in 2015, with about $500 million covered so far.
Source: Medindia
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