David Nabarro, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations for Ebola, conveyed the regards of the Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon in a message to the heads of state, ministers and representatives attending the Extraordinary Summit of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America-Peoples Trade Agreement (ALBA-TCP) on Ebola, this Monday. Ban described the Summit as important and reiterated that Ebola is a global issue which requires an immdeiate international response. "I welcomed the convening of this Summit to define the joint contributions of the members of ALBA to prevent the spread of Ebola, which today is a complex emergency," he stated. Nabarro stressed the need to “empower people” as an effective response to the virus. We require reliable information that allows us to work on prevention, he said. To do this, he said, cooperation and solidarity are essential. "I urge the region and the world to follow the lead of Cuba and Venezuela, countries that serve as a commendable example in their rapid response and support to contain Ebola". The special envoy noted Cuba’s extraordianry reponse, sending a group of 165 health workers to West Africa this month, which represents "more than what has been sent by all the other countries combined. This again demonstrates Cuba's solidarity with the developing nations of the world." Nabarro acknowledged that Cuba has closely collaborated for years with some 39 African countries; and that its suuport in the training of doctors and other health professionals has helped improve health in many parts of the world.
