António Guterres (UN Secretary-General) on Ebola outbreak - Security Council Media Stakeout

Good morning.
Secretary-General will make a statement and we'll take a couple of questions.
Let me begin with a word about the horrifying flooding in Nepal and China.
I extend my deepest condolences to families of the victims and express my solidarity with all those affected.
The United Nations is mobilizing supplies and humanitarian teams, and we pledge to support national efforts to deliver emergency aid and support.
Dear members of the media, I want to provide an update on the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, along with an urgent appeal to step up action to get it under control.
My main message is this outbreak is the fastest growing Ebola epidemic on record.
It is growing faster and wider than the response to contain it, but it can be stopped.
We know how to contain Ebola, how to interrupt transmission, and how to save lives.
But we must also overcome another virus, the virus of indifference because international attention, political focus, and resources are still lagging behind the reality unfolding on the ground.
The Ebola crisis is first and foremost, a human tragedy affecting families and communities on an extraordinary scale.
It is now the largest Ebola outbreak in the history of the DRC.
As of August 25th, 5,713 cases have been confirmed claiming 2,744 lives.
And with about 500 new cases being reported every week, the outbreak continues to expand across a vast area with women and children being hit especially hard.
The challenge is immense.
We are facing a public health emergency in one of the world's most fragile settings.
For example, three decades of conflict in Ituri province alone have displaced 20 million people and severely weakened access to food, healthcare, and other basic services.
Across the region, more than 12 million people need humanitarian assistance and protection.
Meanwhile, health systems are overstretched, infrastructure is weak, entire communities remain difficult to reach.
Frontline workers are also operating in perilous conditions.
More than 40 health workers have lost their lives in the effort to save others.
Health workers have been infected.
Treatment centers and ambulances have been attacked.
Humanitarian personnel face both the threat of the virus and the threat of violence.
They deserve our recognition and support.
The government of the DRC is adding the response with the United Nations led by the World Health Organization and partners teaming up to assist.
We have appointed a UN senior Ebola coordinator and are aligning behind five priorities.
First, community engagement is being expanded to build trust and counterfere and misinformation.
Second, surveillance systems are being strengthened to identify and isolate cases more rapidly.
Third treatment and care capacity are being increased.
Four, safe and dignified burial operations are being expanded, and fifth, we are working to stop Ebola from spreading further.
The Congo River and busy routes across the region connect millions of people and communities, and so we are reinforcing preparedness and coordination with South Sudan and the Central African Republic.
The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are also playing a critical role, mobilizing expertise and solidarity from across the region.
Together with many dedicated partners, these efforts are helping to build an integrated response on the ground.
But let's be clear.
Every gap in funding and operational support makes the El response more challenging.
We are doing everything possible to invest in that response, including through more than $80 million from UN pooled funds and support from partners.
We have put forward a detailed 2.13 million humanitarian needs and response plan.
This is 48% funded, thanks in large measure to a major contribution by the United States.
But current resources will last weeks, not months.
Without additional funding, vital operations will run out of money just when they need to expand.
That is why I am appealing for the remaining $1.1 billion to fully fund the humanitarian response plan, recognizing that even more will be needed in the future.
The world still has an opportunity to get ahead of this crisis, but time is not on our side.
The Abel outbreak deserves far greater attention than it is receiving today.
The communities affected deserve far greater assistance, and the response deserves far greater support.
The world has the knowledge, the means, and the resources to stop this outbreak.
It's time to summon the collective determination to act before the cost becomes more deadly, more difficult, and more expensive.
Thank you.
Thank you Valeria.
Thank you so much.
Good morning, Mr.
Secretary-General.
The US is planning to the payment of $725 million of the budget that still they own to the UN.
Do you have any update on when the UN will receive it? Is there any news about it? Thank you so much.
You are referring not to Ebola, but I general, $725 million that the US they said that they are to our information, this will be very soon.
Thank you.
Thank you.
On Syria, if I may.
The Syrian democratic forces, the Kurdish organization, yesterday announced it dissolving itself to integrate with the Syrian government.
How do you see such a step, Mr.
Secretary-General? I do believe that it is extremely important in a country that has diversity, that is a richness that diversity is recognized, but at the same time, that the country becomes united.
So we see this development as a very positive development to progressively consolidate the stability, the unity, and the sovereignty of Syria.
Thank you very much.
Secretary-General, can we have a comment on the climate change and climate change and Greater? The UN agency have been warning the danger of fat and Croatia for a long time, so please.
Well, I have seen in my visit to Nepal, our glaciers are receding and of course, weakening and the dramatic impacts of climate change in this regard.
Obviously, in this situation, we have also the possibility of an earthquake.
It's not only a climate change issue, but it is clear what's happening to glaciers in the Himalayas is extremely serious and will cause dramatic impacts to the people in the Himalayas.
But also, as glaciers, when they will recede, will have dramatic impacts on the values of the Hindus, the Brahmaputa, the Ganges, and the populations close to the sea in very flat and low areas that might suffer displacement of millions and millions of people.
Great.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.