AFRICAN UNION
UNION AFRICAINE
UNIAO AFRICANA
Addis Ababa, ETHIOPIA P. O. Box 3243 Telephone: 011-551 7700 Fax: 011-551 7844
website: www.africa-union.org
EXECUTIVE COUNCIL, Sixteenth Extraordinary Session 8 September 2014
Addis Ababa, ETHIOPIA
Ext/EX.CL/Dec.1(XVI)
DECISION ON THE
EBOLA VIRUS DISEASE (EVD) OUTBREAK
The Executive Council,
1. TAKES NOTE of the Reports of the Commission on the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak and its socio-economic impact on Africa; as well as the technical presentation by the World Health Organization (WHO);
2. FURTHER NOTES the responsibility of Member State to protect their citizens and public health consistent with International Health Regulations (IHR 2005) and high alert provoked by the current EVD outbreak and the Africa’s solidarity and its integration objectives;
3. ACKNOWLEDGES the circumstances under which some Member States took measures to protect their citizens, including restrictions on travel, trade and humanitarian activities;
4. EXPRESSES concern about the extent of EVD casualties and the need for a response capacity that is way beyond the fragile health public systems of the affected countries;
5. EXPRESSES SUPPORT for the civil military medical missions the “AU Support to the EVD in west Africa (ASEOWA) and CALLS UPON Member States to respond positively and provide adequate number of qualified health personnel for ASEOWA to assist the affected countries to combat the EVD, taking also into account the necessary protection measures to be provided to such personnel;
6. SIMILARLY EXPRESSES concern about panic reactions due to misinformation and inadequate communication about EVD with consequences for worsening the situation;
7. ALSO TAKES into consideration:
i) The WHO recommendation that air, sea and land travel be resumed unimpeded, while intensifying surveillance and observing specific screening protocols;
ii) The assessment that economic and financial activities should not be unnecessarily restricted given the recognized heavy negative socioeconomic impact and unproven effectiveness of reactive restrictive measures taken;
iii) The need to apply to EVD lessons learned from dealing with similar infectious diseases;
iv) The need to protect individual and group human rights as stated in the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights.
8. EXPRESSES with appreciation the solidarity of many organizations and countries, non-governmental organizations and Civil Society Organizations as well as the active mobilization of AU support to Ebola Outbreak in West Africa (ASEOWA) and APPEALS that the same assistance be mobilized in favour of other countries affected in other regions;
9. ALSO EXPRESSES its high appreciation to all the Member States which have provided generous financial, personnel and material assistance to the Member States affected by the epidemic and CALLS UPON all Member States to contribute human, material, and financial resources to contain the spread of the virus;
10. DECIDES, to request the Commission to:
i) Report progress on ASEOWA at its 26th Ordinary Session in January 2015;
ii) Call upon Member States to urgently lift all travel bans and restrictions to respect the principle of free movement and urge that any travel related measures be in line with WHO and ICAO recommendations, in particular proper screening;
iii) Prepare a list of recommended economic and financial measures which are to be adopted and implemented at national, regional and continental levels in solidarity with the directly affected countries as well as economic and financial measures the international community and institutions at large are called upon to consider and apply;
iv) Put in place a monitoring mechanism to support urgent disbursement of pledged support to EVD outbreak response;
v) Continue planning and organizing the AU meetings as already scheduled;
vi) Facilitate the expansion of the mandate of the AU Special Emergency Assistance Fund for Drought and Famine in Africa to include public health emergencies and other calamities;
vii) Ensure the replenishment of the exhausted AU Special Emergency Assistance Fund for Drought and Famine in Africa to continue to provide support to Member States and elaborate specific criteria for the Fund operations; and CALLS ON Member States to make voluntary contributions to the Special Emergency Assistance Fund for Drought and Famine in Africa whose resources are dwindling by the day. In this regard, to explore possibility of convening a Pledging Conference in favour of that Fund;
viii) Take all the necessary steps for the rapid establishment of an African Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (ACDCP), pursuant to Assembly Decision AU/Dec.499 (XXII) on the establishment of the Centre; and ensure the functioning of the ACDCP, together with the establishment of regional centres by mid-2015, including the enhancement of the early warning systems to address in a timely and effective manner all the health emergencies and the coordination and harmonization of health domestic regulations and interventions as well as the exchange of information on good experiences and best practices;
ix) Encourage on going scientific researches on the use of serums and vaccines;
x) Work closely with Member States, Regional Economic Communities (RECs), international and regional Organizations, Africa’s partners, public sector and other relevant actors on the ground, with a view to mobilizing adequate resources to respond to the EVD crisis, in the spirit of Africa solidarity and global approach and in a very well-coordinated and transparent manner, including the sharing of information on commitments and contributions of the various partners;
xi) Engage with media and advocacy groups, local communities, civil society organizations, social networks and other relevant actors on the ground to ensure proper communications about EVD to the general population and the international community at large.
11. INVITES Member States to share the list of infected persons with epidemiological surveillance services (especially neighbouring countries and those affected by the epidemic) so as to facilitate the contribution of these countries and different regions to the monitoring of infected persons, their identification if missing and early medical care for them; to strengthen screening measures at the entry and exit of these countries, and the immediate use of mobile screening laboratories, with the support of the WHO, to thus ensure greater health security at national regional and continental level;
12. STRESSES the critical importance of the timely payment of assessed contributions to the AU Budget for the implementation of all AU programmes, including confronting all humanitarian challenges such as the Ebola Crisis’ EXPRESSES CONCERN over the current financial situation of the AU and CALLS UPON once more Member States to pay up their due contributions to the AU Budget in a timely manner to enable the Commission carry out effectively its mandate;
13. FURTHER DECIDES to remain seized with the matter and REQUESTS the Commission to report on the implementation of this decision to the 26th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council in January 2015.