U.S. AMBASSADOR TO UN TESTIFIES TO CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Testimony to the House Foreign Affairs Committee
Samantha Power
U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations
Washington, DC
June 16, 2015
AS DELIVERED

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Congressman Engel. Distinguished members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify today. And thank you for being here. Thank you also for your leadership in advancing America’s national security interests and our values in the world.

Last week I traveled to Ukraine, where I had the chance to see up close what happens when the rules undergirding our international peace and security are ignored. At a shelter for displaced families in Kyiv, I met a mother who told me how her husband and two-year-old child had been killed in February when a shell struck their home in a village in eastern Ukraine. The shelling, as you all know, was part of a sustained assault by combined Russian-separatist forces – and the victims just two of the more than 6,300 people who have been killed in the Moscow-manufactured conflict. Shortly after the attack, the mother fled town with her five surviving children in a van whose roof and doors had been blasted out. Her plea – one I heard echoed by many of the displaced families I met from eastern Ukraine and occupied Crimea – was for the fighting to stop, and for their basic rights to be respected.

As the members of this Committee know, we are living in a time of daunting global crises. In the last year alone, Russia continued to train, arm, and fight alongside separatists in eastern Ukraine; a deadly epidemic spread across West Africa; and monstrous terrorist groups seized territory across the Middle East and North Africa, committing unspeakable atrocities. These are the kinds of threats that the United Nations exists to prevent and address. Yet it is precisely at the moment when we need the UN most that we see the flaws in the international system, some of which have been alluded to already.

This is true for the conflict in Ukraine – in which a permanent member of the UN Security Council is violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity that it was entrusted with upholding. It is true of the global health system that – despite multiple warnings of a spreading Ebola outbreak, including those from our own CDC – was slow to respond to the epidemic. And it is true of UN peacekeepers, who too often stand down or stand by when civilians they are responsible for protecting come under attack. Thus leaving populations vulnerable and sometimes open to radicalization.

Representing our nation before the United Nations, I have to confront these and other shortcomings every day. Yet though I am clear-eyed about the UN’s vulnerabilities, the central point I want to make to this Committee is that America needs the United Nations to address today’s global challenges. The United States has the most powerful set of tools in history to advance its interests, and we will always lead on the world stage. But we are more effective when we ensure that others shoulder their fair share and when we marshal multilateral support to meet our objectives. Let me quickly outline five ways we are doing that at the UN.

First, we are rallying multilateral coalitions to address transnational threats. Consider Iran. In addition to working with Congress to put in place unprecedented U.S. sanctions on the Iranian government, in 2010 the Obama Administration galvanized the UN Security Council to authorize one of the toughest multilateral sanctions regimes in history. The combination of unilateral and multilateral pressure was crucial to bringing Iran to the negotiating table, and ultimately, to laying the foundation whereby we were able to reach a framework agreement that would, if we can get a final deal, effectively cut off every pathway for the Iranian regime to develop a nuclear weapon.

Consider our response to the Ebola epidemic. Last September, as people were dying outside hospitals in West Africa, hospitals that had no beds left to treat the exploding number of Ebola patients, the United States chaired the first-ever emergency meeting of the UN Security Council dedicated to a global health issue. We pressed countries to deploy doctors and nurses, to build clinics and testing labs, and to fill other gaps that ultimately helped bend the outbreak’s exponentially rising curve. America did not just rally others to step up, we led by example, thanks also very much to the support of this Congress, deploying more than 3,500 U.S. Government civilian and military personnel to Liberia, which has been Ebola-free since early May.

Second, we are reforming UN peacekeeping to help address the threats to international peace and security that exist in the 21st century. There are more than 100,000 uniformed police and soldiers deployed in the UN’s sixteen peacekeeping missions around the world – that is a higher number than in any time in history – with more complex responsibilities also than ever before. The United States has an abiding strategic interest in resolving the conflicts where peacekeepers serve, which can quickly cause regional instability and attract extremist groups, as we have seen in Mali. Yet while we have seen peacekeepers serve with bravery and professionalism in many of the world’s most dangerous operating environments, we’ve also seen chronic problems, too often, as mentioned, including the failure to protect civilians.

We are working aggressively to address these shortfalls. To give just one example, we are persuading more advanced militaries to step up and contribute soldiers and police to UN peacekeeping. That was the aim of a summit that Vice President Biden convened at the UN last September, where Colombia, Sweden, Indonesia and more than a dozen other countries announced new troop commitments; and it is the message I took directly to European leaders in March, when I made the case in Brussels that peacekeeping is a critical way for European militaries to do their fair share in protecting our common security interests, particularly as they draw down in Afghanistan. This coming September, President Obama will convene another summit of world leaders to build on this momentum and help catalyze a new wave of commitments and generate a new set of capabilities for UN peacekeeping.

Third, we are fighting to end bias and discrimination at the UN. Day in and day out, we push back against efforts to delegitimize Israel at the UN, and we fight for its right to be treated like any other nation – from mounting a full-court diplomatic press to help secure Israel’s permanent membership into two UN groups from which it had long and unjustly been excluded, to consistently and firmly opposing one-sided actions in international bodies. In December, when a deeply unbalanced draft resolution on the Israel-Palestinian conflict was hastily put before the Security Council, the United States successfully rallied a coalition to join us in voting against it, ensuring that the resolution failed to achieve the nine votes of Security Council members required for adoption. We will continue to confront anti-Israel bias wherever we encounter it.

Fourth, we are working to use UN tools to promote human rights and affirm human dignity, as we did by working with partners to hold the first-ever Security Council meeting focused on the human rights situation in North Korea in December. We used that session to shine a light on the regime’s horrors – a light we kept shining through a panel discussion I hosted in April, with escaped victims of the regime. One woman told of being forced to watch the executions of fellow prisoners who committed the “crime” of daring to ask why they had been imprisoned, while another woman told how members from three generations of her family – her grandmother, her father, and her younger brother – had starved to death. This is important for UN Member States to hear.

Fifth, we are doing everything within our power to make the UN more fiscally responsible, more accountable, and more nimble – both because we have a responsibility to ensure American taxpayer dollars are spent wisely, and because maximizing the efficiency of our contributions means saving more lives and better protecting the world’s most vulnerable people. Since the 2008 to 2009 fiscal year, we have reduced the cost-per-peacekeeper by 18 percent, and we are constantly looking for ways to right-size missions in response to conditions on the ground, as we will do this year through substantial drawdowns in Côte d’Ivoire, Haiti, and Liberia, among other missions.

Let me conclude. At the outset, I spoke of my recent visit to Ukraine. Across the range of Ukrainians I met – from the mother who lost her husband and two-year-old child in the assault by combined Russian-separatist forces; to the brave students who risked their lives to take part in the Maidan protests against the kleptocratic Yanukovych government; to the young members of parliament working to fight corruption and increase transparency – what united them was the yearning for certain basic rights. And, the belief that the United States could lead other countries – and the United Nations – in helping make their aspirations a reality.

I heard the same sentiment when visiting UN-run camps of people displaced by violence in the Central African Republic, and South Sudan, and in the Ebola-affected communities of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone at the peak of the outbreak.

Some may view the expectation that America can help people overcome their greatest challenges and secure their basic rights as a burden. In fact, that expectation is one of our nation’s greatest strengths, and one we have a vested interest in striving to live up to – daunting as it may feel in the face of so many crises. But we cannot do it alone, nor should we want to. That is why it is more important than ever that we use the UN to rally the multilateral support needed to confront today’s myriad challenges.

Thank you and I look forward to your questions.

WHITE HOUSE STATEMENT ON LIBERIA AND NEW EBOLA CASES

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE
May 09, 2015
Statement by the Press Secretary on Liberia

Today, the Republic of Liberia reached the important milestone of 42 days without reporting a new Ebola case, and we are pleased the World Health Organization was able to declare the end of the country’s current outbreak.  We congratulate the people of Liberia on reaching this important marker, and once again pledge our commitment to ending the Ebola outbreak in West Africa and helping to rebuild Liberia and other affected nations.  As President Obama said when Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf visited the White House last month, “We’re proud to partner with you and we intend to see this through until the job is done.” While this milestone is important, the world must not forget that the Ebola outbreak still persists in neighboring Sierra Leone and Guinea.  We must not let down our guard until the entire region reaches and stays at zero Ebola cases. And we must all work together to strengthen capacity around the world to prevent, detect, and rapidly respond to outbreaks before they become epidemics.

CDC REPORTS EBOLA LINK TO SINGLE FUNERAL CEREMONY IN GUINEA

FROM:  U.S. CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION
Ebola Transmission Linked to a Single Traditional Funeral Ceremony — Kissidougou, Guinea, December, 2014–January 2015

Hygienic burial of corpses infected with Ebola and community acceptance of culturally sensitive safe burial practices are important components of successful management and prevention of Ebola. During December 1, 2014 ─ January 10, 2015, the Guinean Ministry of Health requested assistance from CDC, the World Health Organization, and other partners to investigate an Ebola outbreak in Kissidougou, a prefecture in southeastern Guinea where Ebola was first reported in West Africa in March of 2014. Interventions included active identification and isolation of cases, assessing transmission chains, and implementation of control measures. Lessons learned from this outbreak were employed in planning for subsequent outbreaks in rural communities, developing improved protocols for safe burial practices, and creating health-communication messages in local languages.

CDC INVESTIGATING POSSIBLE EBOLA EXPOSURE TO AMERICANS IN SIERRA LEONE

FROM:  CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION
CDC investigating potential exposures of American citizens to Ebola in West Africa

On March 13, an American volunteer healthcare worker in Sierra Leone who tested positive for Ebola virus returned to the U.S. by medevac and was admitted to the NIH Clinical Center for care and treatment.  As a result of this case, CDC is conducting an investigation of individuals in Sierra Leone, including several other American citizens, who may have had potential exposure to this index patient or exposures similar to those that resulted in the infection of the index patient.  At this time, none of these individuals have tested positive for Ebola. These individuals are volunteers in the Ebola response and are currently being monitored in Sierra Leone.  Out of an abundance of caution, CDC and the State Department are developing contingency plans for returning those Americans with potential exposure to the U.S. by non-commercial air transport. Those individuals will voluntarily self-isolate and be under direct active monitoring for the 21-day incubation period.

One of these American citizens had potential exposure to the individual being treated at NIH and is currently being transported via charter to the Atlanta area to be close to Emory University Hospital. The individual has not shown symptoms of Ebola and has not been diagnosed with Ebola. Upon arrival in Atlanta, the individual will voluntarily self-isolate and be under direct active monitoring for the 21-day incubation period

PRESIDENT OBAMA'S REMARKS ON EBOLA

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE
February 11, 2015
Remarks by the President on America's Leadership in the Ebola Fight
South Court Auditorium
1:46 P.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  (Applause.)  Please, everybody, have a seat.  Thank you.  Thank you, everybody.  Well, thank you, Rear Admiral Giberson, not only for the introduction, but for your leadership and your service.

Last summer, as Ebola spread in West Africa, overwhelming public health systems and threatening to cross more borders, I said that fighting this disease had to be more than a national security priority, but an example of American leadership.  After all, whenever and wherever a disaster or a disease strikes, the world looks to us to lead.  And because of extraordinary people like the ones standing behind me, and many who are in the audience, we have risen to the challenge.

Now, remember, there was no small amount of skepticism about our chances.  People were understandably afraid, and, if we’re honest, some stoked those fears.  But we believed that if we made policy based not on fear, but on sound science and good judgment, America could lead an effective global response while keeping the American people safe, and we could turn the tide of the epidemic.

We believed this because of people like Rear Admiral Giberson.  We believed this because of outstanding leaders like Dr. Raj Shah at USAID and Dr. Tom Frieden at the CDC.  (Applause.)  We believed it because of the men and women behind me and the many others here at home and who are still overseas who respond to challenges like this one not only with skill and professionalism, but with courage and with dedication.  And because of your extraordinary work, we have made enormous progress in just a few months.

So the main reason we’re actually here today is for me to say thank you.  Thank you to the troops and public health workers who left their loved ones to head into the heart of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa -- and many of them did so over the holidays.  Thank you to the health care professionals here at home who treated our returning heroes like Dr. Kent Brantly and Dr. Craig Spencer.  Thank you to Dr. Tony Fauci and Nancy Sullivan, and the incredible scientists at NIH, who worked long days and late nights to develop a vaccine.  All of you represent what is best about America and what’s possible when we lead.

And we’re also here to mark a transition in our fight against this disease -- not to declare mission accomplished, but to mark a transition.  Thanks to the hard work of our nearly 3,000 troops who deployed to West Africa, logistics have been set up, Ebola treatment units have been built, over 1,500 African health workers have been trained, and volunteers around the world gained the confidence to join the fight.  We were a force multiplier.  It wasn’t just what we put in; it’s the fact that when we put it in, people looked around and said, all right, America has got our back, so we’ll come too.  And as a result, more than 1,500 of our troops have been able to return.

Today, I’m announcing that by April 30th, all but 100 who will remain to help support the ongoing response, all but those hundred will also be able to come home -- not because the job is done, but because they were so effective in setting up the infrastructure, that we are now equipped to deal with the job that needs to be done in West Africa, not only with a broader, international coalition, but also with folks who have been trained who are from the countries that were most at risk.

So I want to be very clear here:  While our troops are coming home, America’s work is not done.  Our mission is not complete.  Today, we move into the next phase of the fight, winding down our military response while expanding our civilian response.  That starts here at home, where we’re more prepared to protect Americans from infectious disease, but still have more work to do.  For as long as Ebola simmers anywhere in the world, we will have some Ebola fighting heroes who are coming back home with the disease from time to time.  And that’s why we’re screening and monitoring all arrivals from affected countries.  We’ve equipped more hospitals with new protective gear and protocols.  We’ve developed partnerships with states and cities, thanks to public servants like Mayor Mike Rawlings and Judge Clay Jenkins of Dallas, Texas, who were on the front lines when the first case appeared here on our shores.

A few months ago, only 13 states had the capability to even test for Ebola.  Today, we have more than 54 labs in 44 states.  Only three facilities in the country were qualified to treat an Ebola patient.  Today, we have 51 Ebola treatment centers.  We have successfully treated eight Ebola patients here in the United States.  And we are grateful to be joined by six of these brave survivors today, including Dr. Richard Sacra, who received world-class care at Nebraska Medical Center -- and a plasma donation from Dr. Kent Brantly.  Then he returned to Liberia to treat non-Ebola patients who still need doctors.  That’s the kind of commitment and the kind of people we’re dealing with here.  (Applause.)

Meanwhile, in West Africa, it’s true that we have led a massive global effort to combat this epidemic.  We mobilized other countries to join us in making concrete, significant commitments to fight this disease, and to strengthen global health systems for the long term.  In addition to the work of our troops, our USAID DART teams have directed the response.  Our CDC disease detectives have traced contacts.  Our health care workers and scientists helped contain the outbreak.  Our team is providing support for 10,000 civilian responders on the ground.

That’s what Brett Sedgewick did.  Where’s Brett?  There here is.  (Laughter.)  So Brett went to Liberia with Global Communities, which is an NGO that partnered with us to respond to Ebola.  Brett supported safe-burial teams that traveled to far-flung corners of Liberia to ensure that those who lost their lives to Ebola were carefully, safely, and respectfully buried so that they could not transmit the disease to anyone else.  And Brett reflects the spirit of so many volunteers when he said, “If you need me, just say the word.”  That’s a simple but profound statement.

That’s who we are -- big-hearted and optimistic, reflecting the can-do spirit of the American people.  That’s our willingness to help those in need.  They’re the values of Navy Lieutenant Andrea McCoy and her team.  Andrea, raise your hand so that I don’t look -- (laughter).  Andrea and her team deployed some seven tons of equipment, processed over 1,800 blood samples.  They’re the values that drive Commander Billy Pimentel.  Where’s Billy?  Raise your hand.

COMMANDER PIMENTEL:  Here, sir.

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you, sir.  (Laughter.)  Like that Navy can-do attitude.

He led a team of Naval microbiologists to set up mobile laboratories that can diagnose Ebola within four hours.  And he said, “It has been an honor for us to use our skills to make a difference.”

These values -- American values -- matter to the world.  At the Monrovia Medical Unit in Liberia -- built by American troops; staffed by Rear Admiral Giberson and his team from the U.S. Public Health Service Corps -- a nurse’s aide named Rachael Walker went in for treatment, and left Ebola-free.  And I want you to listen to what Rachael’s sister said about all of you.  “We were worried at first,” she said, “but when we found out [Rachael] was being transferred to the American Ebola treatment unit, we thanked God first and then we thanked America second for caring about us.”

And the Americans who she was speaking of aren’t just doctors or nurses, or soldiers or scientists.  You’re what one lieutenant commander from the U.S. Public Health Service Corps called the “hope multipliers.”  And you’ve multiplied a lot of hope.  Last fall, we saw between 800 and 1,000 new cases a week. Today, we’re seeing between 100 and 150 cases a week -- a drop of more than 80 percent.  Liberia has seen the best progress, Sierra Leone is moving in the right direction, Guinea has the longest way left to go.

Our focus now is getting to zero.  Because as long as there is even one case of Ebola that’s active out there, risks still exist.  Every case is an ember that, if not contained, can light a new fire.  So we’re shifting our focus from fighting the epidemic to now extinguishing it.

The reason we can do that is because of a bipartisan majority in Congress, including some of the members who are here today, who approved funding to power this next phase in our response.  And I want to thank those members of Congress who are here for the outstanding work that they did.  (Applause.)  One of them, Chris Coons, recently traveled to the region and saw firsthand that we have to continue this fight in Africa.

So while our troops are coming home, plenty of American heroes remain on the ground, with even more on the way.  Doctors and nurses are still treating patients, CDC experts are tracking cases, NIH teams are testing vaccines, USAID workers are in the field, and countless American volunteers are on the front lines.  And while I take great pride in the fact that our government organized this effort -- and I particularly want to thank Secretary Burwell and her team at Health and Human Services for the outstanding work that they did -- we weren’t working alone.  I just had a chance to meet with some leading philanthropists who did so much, and are now committed to continuing the work and finding new ways in which we can build platforms not only to finish the job with respect to Ebola, but also to be able to do more effective surveillance, prevention, and quick response to diseases in the future.  

Other nations have joined the fight, and we’re going to keep working together -- because our common security depends on all of us.  That’s why we launched the Global Health Security Agenda last year to bring more nations together to better prevent and detect and respond to future outbreaks before they become epidemics.  This was a wakeup call, and why it’s going to be so important for us to learn lessons from what we’ve done and sustain it into the future.

And in the 21st century, we cannot built moats around our countries.  There are no drawbridges to be pulled up.  We shouldn’t try.  What we should do is instead make sure everybody has basic health systems -- from hospitals to disease detectives to better laboratory networks -- (applause) -- all of which allows us to get early warnings against outbreaks of diseases.  This is not charity.  The investments we make overseas are in our self-interest -- this is not charity; we do this because the world is interconnected -- in the same way that the investments we make in NIH are not a nice-to-do, they are a must-do.  We don’t appreciate basic science and all these folks in lab coats until there’s a real problem and we say, well, do we have a cure for that, or can we fix it?  And if we haven't made those investments, if we’ve neglected them, then they won’t be there when we need them.

So as we transition into a new phase in this fight, make no mistake -- America is as committed as ever, I am as committed as ever to getting to zero.  And I know we can.  And I know this because of the people who stand behind me and the people out in the audience.  I know this because of people like Dr. William Walters.  William, you here?

DR. WALTERS:  Sir.

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  (Laughter.)

Dr. Walters is the Director of Operational Medicine at the State Department.  Last summer, he was called to help move Dr. Kent Brantly -- who’s here -- back to the United States for treatment.  And Dr. Walters says the first thing he did was to Google Dr. Brantly.  (Laughter.)  A little plug for Google there.  I know we got some -- (laughter.)  And the first picture he saw was of Kent and his family.

Now, remember, the decision to move Kent back to the United States was controversial.  Some worried about bringing the disease to our shores.  But what folks like William knew was that we had to make the decisions based not on fear, but on science.  And he knew that we needed to take care of our heroes who had sacrificed so much to save the lives of others in order for us to continue to get people to make that kind of commitment.  They had to know we had their backs in order for us to effectively respond.  And so, as William said, “We do the work we do to impact something bigger than ourselves.”  We do the work we do to impact something bigger than ourselves.

That’s the test of American leadership.  We have this extraordinary military.  We have an extraordinary economy.  We have unbelievable businesses.  But what makes us exceptional is when there’s a big challenge and we hear somebody saying it’s too hard to tackle, and we come together as a nation and prove you wrong.  That’s true whether it’s recession, or war, or terrorism.  There are those who like to fan fears.  But over the long haul, America does not succumb to fear.  We master the moment with bravery and courage, and selflessness and sacrifice, and relentless, unbending hope.  That’s what these people represent.  That’s what’s best in us.  And we have to remember that, because there will be other circumstances like this in the future.

We had three weeks in which all too often we heard science being ignored, and sensationalism, but you had folks like this who were steady and focused, and got the job done.  And we’re lucky to have them, and we have to invest in them.

So I want to thank all of you for proving again what America can accomplish.  God bless you.  God bless the United States of America.  Thank you.  (Applause.)
 
END
2:03 P.M. EST

AMBASSADOR POWER'S REMARKS ON UNDERDEVELOPMENT AS IT RELATES TO PEACE AND SECURITY

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 
Remarks by Ambassador Samantha Power, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, at a Security Council Debate on Inclusive Development for the Maintenance of International Peace and Security
Samantha Power
U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations 
New York, NY
January 19, 2015
AS DELIVERED

Thank you, President Bachelet, for chairing this critically important session, and for Chile’s leadership on these issues and many others in the Council and around the world. Thank you, as well, for your lifelong efforts – including during your tenure here as director of UN Women, and as Chilean President – to advance the causes of development and peace. Thanks also to Nobel Peace Prize laureate Leymah Gbowee, we can all see why you have made the difference that you have in Liberia and well beyond. You are truly formidable. And thank you Mr. Secretary-General and Ambassador Patriota for your very important contributions.

As threats to international peace and security have evolved, so has the Council’s conception of them. Consider two of the great crises we face today: the Ebola epidemic and violent extremism. While neither represents the kind of risk that may have been imagined by the architects of the United Nations, each threatens the stability and prosperity of multiple countries. And both highlight the way that underdevelopment can pose a risk to peace and security. One of the main reasons that Ebola spread as quickly as it did in West Africa – and has killed such a high proportion of the people that it has infected – is the acute underdevelopment of the public health systems in the affected countries. And as President Obama observed in his remarks before the General Assembly in September, violent extremist groups have found their most fertile recruiting grounds “in the Middle East and North Africa, where a quarter of young people have no job, where food and water could grow scarce, where corruption is rampant and sectarian conflicts have become increasingly hard to contain.”

The connection between development and peace and security extends beyond Ebola and violent extremism. The average civil war sets back a medium-sized developing country more than 30 years in terms of economic growth, trade levels after major violence take an average of 20 years to recover, and the global economic impact of stemming such violence is estimated at 9.5 trillion dollars, or approximately 11 percent of the Gross World Product. These figures show what should be clear to all: the economic and social health of countries is intrinsically linked to their ability to secure and maintain peace. More than 80 percent of extremely poor people – those who survive on less than a dollar a day – are expected to live in countries affected by conflict and chronic violence by 2025. We know that this is not a challenge we can ignore. We have to do something more.

One place to start is with women and girls. Leymah’s story is testament to the critical goal that women can play in advancing peace and security. In the middle of Liberia’s second brutal civil war, she rallied thousands of women to pray for peace, and founded a group that staged weeks-long non-violent protests calling for an end to the conflict. Women’s activism helped build grassroots pressure on Liberia’s president at the time, Charles Taylor, to engage in peace talks with rebels. When those talks faltered, she and 200 women formed a human chain to prevent the government and the rebels from leaving the negotiating table. Of course, the government and the rebels could have pushed their way through that chain. But the women’s symbolic demand for peace, together with international pressure, helped keep both sides at the negotiating table, and within weeks they reached a deal.

If we agree that international peace and security is bound up with inclusive development, it follows that one of the best ways for the international community to consolidate peace, and to help end conflict, is to bridge enduring development gaps.

That is why, in addition to investing unprecedented resources in stopping the Ebola outbreak at its source, and in leaving the affected countries with stronger public health systems than they had before the outbreak – including the efforts of more than 3,000 American engineers, epidemiologists, doctors, and others on the ground, mainly in Liberia, President Obama has launched the Global Health Security Agenda. The GHSA is aimed at preparing countries to prevent, detect, and rapidly respond to outbreaks before they become epidemics. During a meeting with President Obama last September, 43 countries joined us in announcing more than 100 specific commitments to strengthen global health security, together with the WHO and other international institutions.

That is why we have invested so much time in the Post-2015 development agenda, which aims for inclusive and equitable development that leaves no one behind in any country – developing or developed – and not only in terms of gender equality and global health, but across other areas such as education, water and sanitation, sustainable energy, and inclusive and responsive governance. That is why the United States has strongly advocated for Goal 16, which focuses on promoting peaceful and inclusive societies, providing access to justice for all, and building accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels. If we can achieve this goal – through reducing corruption, promoting universal free and legal identity, and ensuring public access to information – we can ensure that the UN’s next development agenda will help empower those who need it most.

And this is why, in Afghanistan, we have invested robustly in ensuring that women and girls are more fully integrated into Afghan society. Since 2001, school enrollment there has increased tenfold, with nearly 10 million children now signed up, 40 percent of whom are girls. Maternal mortality has fallen from 16 percent to 3 percent. And today women hold 28 percent of the Afghan Parliament’s seats – a higher proportion than in my own country. All of these investments, all of this progress, not only make women more equal partners in Afghanistan’s future, but they give Afghanistan far brighter prospects for a more secure and prosperous future.

Today, as has been said, we commemorate the life of another Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and one of the world’s greatest human rights champions – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In one of his last speeches, Dr. King spoke of what he called, “the Other America” – a country he contrasted with the America of opportunity and equality. The Other America, he said, had a “daily ugliness about it that transforms the buoyancy of hope into the fatigue of despair.” Dr. King spoke of men without work; of families living in miserable conditions; of children denied access to a quality education. And he spoke of how such inequality posed an enduring obstacle to American prosperity, calling on all Americans to bridge these gaps.

It has been nearly fifty years since Dr. King spoke to the need to address these gaps in the United States, and yet so many of the gaps persist, here in the United States and around the world. His call to action is as resonant and urgent today as when he first made it. We must do everything in our power to do our part to fulfill it.

Thank you.

ARMY ENGINEERS BUILD TREATMENT CENTERS AND PARTNERSHIPS

WHITE HOUSE VIDEO: VOICES OF COURAGE: FIGHTING EBOLA AT ITS SOURCE

ONE MEMBER JOINT DOD TEAM BRINGS EXPERIENCE OF TREATING EBOLA PATIENTS

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT

Right:  Navy Cmdr. (Dr.) James Lawler, center, an infectious disease physician, talks to team members during a training event at the San Antonio Military Medical Center on Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas, Oct. 25, 2014. The group is part of a 30-member DoD team that could be called on to respond to new cases of Ebola in the United States. DoD photo by Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.  

Navy Physician Provides Ebola Treatment Expertise to DoD Team
By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.
DoD News, Defense Media Activity

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas, Oct. 27, 2014 – The Defense Department’s unprecedented mission of establishing a 30-member team to rapidly and effectively respond to any potential Ebola virus outbreak in the U.S. has brought some of the U.S. military health system’s best medical professionals together.

One member of the joint team brings real-world experience treating Ebola patients to the DoD training course that will assist in advancing the group’s proficiency. Navy Cmdr. (Dr.) James Lawler, chief of the clinical research department of the bio-defense research directorate, Naval Medical Research Center, Fort Detrick, Maryland, discussed his role on the DoD team serving as a subject-matter expert on Ebola treatment.

“I’ve had the opportunity to work in a couple of isolation treatment units in sub-Saharan Africa,” he said, “and recently, in May, I was at the Ebola treatment unit in Conakry, Guinea, as a consultant for the World Health Organization. He also worked with the local health ministry and with Doctors Without Borders, which runs the Ebola treatment unit in Conakry.

Advances in Ebola treatment

Lawler, an 18-year Navy veteran, said he thinks the treatment of Ebola has “evolved significantly” due to the outbreak in West Africa.

“We’re really rewriting the textbook on Ebola virus disease, because we’ve seen so many more cases in this outbreak,” he said. “I think we’ve tried to capture a lot of the lessons that have been learned from West Africa, and also from the repatriated patients who have been treated here in the United States. We’ve learned a lot about effective treatment and how important aggressive supportive care can be, and we’ve tried to impart those lessons to the team here.”

One characteristic of Ebola, he said, has been recognized more widely now for contributing to the mortality and morbidity of the disease: diarrhea and the incredible amount of fluid loss and associated electrolyte abnormalities that come with the disease.

“I think being more aggressive in treating those features of the disease has been an advance that this outbreak has precipitated,” Lawler said. “And I think that there’s a better appreciation that aggressive supportive care can make a significant difference in outcome.”

Training focused on infection prevention

During the DoD training the 30-member team has undergone, Lawler said, the focus has centered on appropriate infection prevention and control in isolation units -- how to set up an isolation unit appropriately, how to use the personal protective equipment, and how to integrate the appropriate infection control procedures into daily clinical practice.

Team diversity

The team’s make-up — 10 critical care nurses; 10 noncritical care in-patient nurses; five physicians with infectious disease, internal medicine and critical care experience; and five members trained in infection control specialties — is essential to its success, Lawler said. “Their complex patients require a significant amount of care,” he added, “and as part of the team we have a core of critical care nurses who are really the most important part of the team.”

That intensive nursing, Lawler said, makes the biggest difference in patient outcome, and all of those disciplines are important to managing patients.
“We also have some other folks who specialize in things like industrial hygiene and environmental health [who] can help with some of the other aspects of setting up a patient care unit that are important,” he said.

The infection prevention control practices the team is training on will work if they’re done effectively, Lawler said.

“It’s important to really rely on your training and to remain focused and deliberate when you’re working in a unit,” he said. “Errors usually come when people get sloppy; when they get tired [and] careless. We really focus on preventing that.”

Additionally, Lawler said, there is “absolutely” a benefit to having a team available for any infectious disease contingency, because Ebola is not the only worry.

“There’s [Middle East respiratory syndrome] Coronavirus that’s out there in the Middle East right now,” Lawler explained. “We’ve already had experience with [severe acute respiratory syndrome] [and] with pandemic influenza, so the threat of emerging disease and pandemic disease is always out there.”
Confidence in DoD team

Lawler expressed confidence in the team’s training and said he believes it’s ready to “deliver good care, and to do it safely.”

“I feel very comfortable that our training has prepared the team to deliver care effectively and safely,” he said. “If the event ever happens [where] the team gets called up, hopefully, other people [outside DoD] have the same confidence that I do that the team is ready to go.”

Lawler said the nation always turns to the military in difficult times, and it is up to the DoD team to ensure it lives up to that trust.

“I think, in general, doing good patient care in difficult situations is what the military medical system always does,” he said. “That mission is not unfamiliar to us, and we’re ready to go if the call comes around for this particular instance.”

PRESIDENT OBAMA'S REMARKS ON EBOLA, SHOOTING IN CANADA

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE 

October 22, 2014

Remarks by the President on the U.S. Government's Ebola Response and the Shooting Incident in Canada

Oval Office

4:00 P.M. EDT    

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, I wanted to give you an update I just received from the team that’s been working day and night to make sure that the American people are safe and that we’re dealing effectively with not just the Ebola case here, but the outbreak and epidemic that’s taking place in West Africa.

A number of things make us cautiously more optimistic about the situation here in the United States.  First of all, we now have seen dozens of persons who had initial interaction with Mr. Duncan, including his family and friends, and in some cases people who have had fairly significant contact with him, have now been cleared and we’re confident that they do not have Ebola.  And it just gives, I think, people one more sense of how difficult it is to get this disease.  These are people, in some cases, who were living with Mr. Duncan and had fairly significant contact with him.  They, we now know, do not have Ebola.

And so, once again, I want to emphasize to the public:  This is not airborne; you have to have had contact with the bodily fluids of somebody who is actually showing symptoms of Ebola, which is why it makes it so hard to catch, although it obviously is very virulent if, in fact, you do come into contact with such bodily fluids.

Our hearts and thoughts and prayers are still with the two nurses who were affected.  Again, we’re cautiously optimistic.  They seem to be doing better, and we continue to think about them.

I had a chance to talk to a number of their coworkers at Texas Presbyterian today.  Spirits were good.  People were very proud of the work that they’ve done, and understandably so.  Because as I’ve said before, when it comes to taking care of us and our families, nobody is more important than the frontline health workers and nurses in particular who so often are the ones who have immediate and ongoing contact with patients.  And they’re very proud of what they’ve done, and want to make sure that everybody understands how seriously they take their work and how important they consider their jobs to be.

In addition, what we’ve also seen is two American patients, who got Ebola outside but were brought here to be treated, have now been cleared.  They have been cured, and we’re obviously very happy about that.  I know their families are thrilled about that.

And finally, we also received news that, according to the World Health Organization, both Nigeria and Senegal are Ebola-free.  Now, these are countries that are adjoining the three West African countries that are experiencing the most severe aspects of this disease.  And again, it gives you some sense that when it’s caught early, and where the public health infrastructure operates effectively, this outbreak can be stopped.

What we’ve also been talking about then is dealing with the particulars of the situations as it arose in Dallas and what we’re doing to making sure that we don’t see a repeat of some of the problems with the protocols that took place in Dallas.

First of all, with respect to Dallas, working in coordination with Governor Perry, Mayor Rawlings and health officials in Dallas and throughout Texas, we now are very confident that if any additional cases came up in Texas, that there is a plan in place where they would go receive first-class treatment.  And we continue to actively monitor those who remain at risk because they were involved in Mr. Duncan’s treatment -- although a number of them rolled off of the list of people who could possibly get it today.   And each day, more and more folks are cleared and can be confident that they don’t have Ebola.

We surged resources both to Dallas and to Cleveland, making sure that the CDC is on the ground so that if additional cases arise out of the Dallas situation, as well as the second nurse who flew to Cleveland, that we’re on the ground and we don’t repeat any problems with respect to the protocols that have to be followed.

The CDC has refined and put in place guidelines that will make sure that both in terms of protective gear and how it’s disposed, and how we monitor anybody who might have Ebola, that those are tighter.  And our team has spent a lot of time reaching out to hospitals, doctors, nurses’ associations, health care workers.  There were thousands who were trained at the Javits Center just yesterday, I believe.

And so we’re going to systematically and steadily just make sure that every hospital has a plan; that they are displaying CDC information that has currently been provided so that they can step-by-step precautions when they’re dealing with somebody who might have Ebola.

And I’m confident that over the course of several weeks and months, each hospital working in conjunction with public health officials in those states are going to be able to train and develop the kinds of systems that ensure that people are prepared if and when a case like this comes up.  And that ultimately is going to be the most important thing.

This is a disease where if it’s caught early and the hospital knows what to do early, it doesn’t present a massive risk of spreading.  But we have to make sure that everybody is aware of it.  And obviously, given all the attention that this situation has received, as you might expect, hospital workers and the CEOs of hospitals, and dentists, and anybody who has contact with potential patients is paying a lot more attention and is much more open to making sure that they’ve got a sound plan in place.  And we’re going to be helping everybody to make sure that they put that plan in place.

In addition, I know that there’s been a lot of concern around the issue of individuals traveling from the three nations in West Africa that are most affected.  So, as has already been announced, what’s now happening is all flights from those nations are being funneled into three airports -- or five airports, rather.  Each of those airports have systems in place so that all the passengers getting off those flights will be monitored.

The CDC announced today that it’s going to take some additional steps to provide information to states so that they can actively monitor what’s taking place with those persons for a period of 21 days in order to protect the citizens of their various states, and will continue to put in place additional measures as they make sense in order to assure that we don’t see a continuing spread of this disease.

And on the international front, the good news is, is that along with the billion dollars that we are putting in, we’ve now seen an additional billion dollars from the world community to start building isolation units in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.  Health workers are beginning to surge there.  We’ve got 100 CDC personnel on the ground, as well as more than 500 military personnel.

I should emphasize that our military personnel is not treating patients.  But what we’re doing, which nobody else really has the capacity to do, is to build the infrastructure -- the logistical systems, the air transport, the construction -- so that, as other countries start making contributions, they can be  confident that it’s going to get in where it’s most needed, and it’s going to be coordinated effectively.  And we just want to thanks, as always, our men and women in uniform who are doing an outstanding job there.

We’re already starting to see some very modest signs of progress in Liberia.  We’re concerned about some spike in cases in Guinea.  One of the good things that has come out of all the attention that this has received over the last several months -- and, frankly, the coordination of the United States with the international community -- is that people understand if we are going to protect all of our citizens globally, we have to do a better job of getting into these countries quicker and providing more help faster.  And American leadership has been vital in that entire process.

So the top line, I think the key message I want to deliver is that although, obviously, people had concerns with Mr. Duncan -- and our hearts still go out to his family as well as the two nurses that were infected -- in fact, what we’re seeing is that the public health infrastructure and systems that we are now putting in place across the board around the country should give the American people confidence that we’re going to be in a position to deal with any additional cases of Ebola that might crop up without it turning into an outbreak.

And I want to emphasize again:  This is a very hard disease to get.  And in a country like the United States that has a strong public health infrastructure and outstanding health workers and hospitals and systems, the prospect of an outbreak here is extremely low.  If people want to make sure that as we go into the holiday season their families are safe, the very best thing they can do is make sure that everybody in the family is getting a flu shot.  Because we know that tens of thousands of people will be affected by the flu this season, as is true every season.

I’ll say one other thing about this.  If there’s a silver lining in all the attention that the Ebola situation has received over the last several weeks, it’s a reminder of how important our public health systems are.  And in many ways, what this has done is elevated that importance.  There may come a time, sometime in the future, where we are dealing with an airborne disease that is much easier to catch and is deadly.  And in some ways, this has created a trial run for federal, state and local public health officials and health care providers, as well as the American people, to understand the nature of that and why it’s so important that we’re continually building out our public health systems but we’re also practicing them and keeping them in tip-top shape, and investing in them, because oftentimes the best cures to prevent getting diseases in the first place -- and that’s true for individuals, it’s true for the country as a whole.

Thank you very much, everybody.

Q    Can you say something about Canada?

THE PRESIDENT:  Oh, thank you very much.  I appreciate -- thank you.  I had a chance to talk with Prime Minister Harper this afternoon.  Obviously, the situation there is tragic.  Just two days ago, a Canadian soldier had been killed in an attack.  We now know that another young man was killed today.  And I expressed on behalf of the American people our condolences to the family and to the Canadian people as a whole.

We don’t yet have all the information about what motivated the shooting.  We don’t yet have all the information about whether this was part of a broader network or plan, or whether this was an individual or series of individuals who decided to take these actions.  But it emphasizes the degree to which we have to remain vigilant when it comes to dealing with these kinds of acts of senseless violence or terrorism.  And I pledged, as always, to make sure that our national security teams are coordinating very closely, given not only is Canada one of our closest allies in the world but they’re our neighbors and our friends, and obviously there’s a lot of interaction between Canadians and the United States, where we have such a long border.

And it’s very important I think for us to recognize that when it comes to dealing with terrorist activity, that Canada and the United States has to be entirely in sync.  We have in the past; I’m confident we will continue to do so in the future.  And Prime Minister Harper was very appreciative of the expressions of concern by the American people.

I had a chance to travel to the Parliament in Ottawa.  I’m very familiar with that area and am reminded of how warmly I was received and how wonderful the people there were.  And so obviously we’re all shaken by it, but we’re going to do everything we can to make sure that we’re standing side by side with Canada during this difficult time.

Q    What does the Canadian attack mean to U.S. security, Mr. President?

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, we don’t have enough information yet.  So as we understand better exactly what happened, this obviously is something that we’ll make sure to factor in, in the ongoing efforts that we have to counter terrorist attacks in our country.

Every single day we have a whole lot of really smart, really dedicated, really hardworking people -- including a couple in this room -- who are monitoring risks and making sure that we’re doing everything we need to do to protect the American people.  And they don’t get a lot of fanfare, they don’t get a lot of attention.  There are a lot of possible threats that are foiled or disrupted that don’t always get reported on.  And the work of our military, our intelligence teams, the Central Intelligence Agency, the intelligence community more broadly, our local law enforcement and state law enforcement officials who coordinate closely with us -- we owe them all a great deal of thanks.

Thank you, guys.  Appreciate you.

END

DEFENSE SECRETARY HAGEL, PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA STATE COUNCILOR JIECHI MEET AT PENTAGON

U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, right, meets with Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi, second from left, at the Pentagon, Oct. 20, 2014, to discuss matters of mutual importance. DoD photo by U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Adrian Cadiz.

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT

 Hagel, Chinese Leader Discuss Strengthening Cooperation

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Oct. 20, 2014 – Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel met in the Pentagon today with People's Republic of China State Councilor Yang Jiechi, Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby reported.

In a statement summarizing the meeting, Kirby said the two leaders discussed the importance of maintaining the positive momentum that has developed in the military-to-military relationship between the United States and China.

“They also reaffirmed their shared interest in strengthening cooperation on regional and global challenges,” he added, “and noted the potential for greater cooperation in several areas, to include providing humanitarian assistance and disaster relief when crises arise, and containing the spread of Ebola in West Africa.”

Hagel and Yang both highlighted the importance of President Barack Obama's trip to Beijing in November and expressed a shared desire that the trip be a success, Kirby said.

STOPPING EBOLA: NSF FUNDS RESEARCH ON STOPPING EBOLA

FROM:  NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION 

Halting the spread of Ebola: Nigeria a model for quick action, scientists find

Rapid control measures critical to stopping the virus in its tracks

Ebola. The word brings fear of an unseen and potentially lethal enemy. But there are ways to stop its spread, say infectious disease scientists.

Quick intervention is needed, according to the researchers, who recently published their findings in the journal Eurosurveillance.

Analyzing Ebola cases in Nigeria, a country with success in containing the disease, the scientists estimated the rate of fatality, transmission progression, proportion of health care workers infected, and the effect of control interventions on the size of the epidemic.

Rapid response needed

"Rapid control is necessary, as is demonstrated by the Nigerian success story," says Arizona State University (ASU) scientist Gerardo Chowell, senior author of the paper.

"This is critically important for countries in the West Africa region that are not yet affected by the Ebola epidemic, as well as for countries in other regions of the world that risk importation of the disease."

The research is funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF)-National Institutes of Health (NIH)-Department of Agriculture (USDA) Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases (EEID) Program.

"Controlling a deadly disease like Ebola requires understanding how it's likely to spread, and knowing the ways of managing that spread that are most likely to be effective," says Sam Scheiner, NSF EEID program director.

"Being able to respond quickly needs a foundation of knowledge acquired over many years. The work of these scientists is testimony to long-term funding by the EEID program."

Control measures in Nigeria

The largest Ebola outbreak to date is ongoing in West Africa, with more than 8,000 reported cases and 4,000 deaths. However, just 20 Ebola cases have been reported in Nigeria, with no new cases since early September.

All the cases in Nigeria stem from a single traveler returning from Liberia in July.

The study used epidemic modeling and computer simulations to project the size of the outbreak in Nigeria if control interventions had been implemented during various time periods after the initial case, and estimated how many cases had been prevented by the actual early interventions.

"This timely work demonstrates how computational simulations, informed by data from health care officials and the complex social web of contacts and activities, can be used to develop both preparedness plans and response scenarios," says Sylvia Spengler, program director in NSF's Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering, which also supported the research.

Control measures implemented in Nigeria included holding all people showing Ebola symptoms in an isolation ward if they had had contact with the initial case. If Ebola was confirmed through testing, people diagnosed with the disease were moved to a treatment center.

Asymptomatic individuals were separated from those showing symptoms; those who tested negative without symptoms were discharged.

Those who tested negative but showed symptoms--fever, vomiting, sore throat and diarrhea--were observed and discharged after 21 days if they were then free of symptoms, while being kept apart from people who had tested positive.

Brief window of opportunity

Ebola transmission is dramatically influenced by how rapidly control measures are put into place.

"Actions taken by health authorities to contain the spread of disease sometimes can, perversely, spread it," says NSF-funded scientist Charles Perrings, also of ASU.

"In the Nigeria case, people who tested negative but had some of the symptoms were not put alongside others who tested positive," says Perrings. "So they had no incentive to flee, and their isolation did nothing to increase infection rates. Elsewhere in the region isolation policies have had a different effect."

The researchers found that the projected effect of control interventions in Nigeria ranged from 15-106 cases when interventions are put in place on day 3; 20-178 cases when implemented on day 10; 23-282 cases on day 20; 60-666 cases on day 30; 39-1,599 cases on day 40; and 93-2,771 on day 50.

The person who was initially infected generated 12 secondary cases in the first generation of the disease; five secondary cases were generated from those 12 in the second generation; and two secondary cases in the third generation.

That leads to a rough estimate of the reproduction number according to disease generation declining from 12 during the first generation, to approximately 0.4 during the second and third disease generations.

A reproductive number above 1.0 indicates that the disease has the potential to spread.

Recent estimates of the reproduction number for the ongoing Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone and Liberia range between 1.5 and 2 (two new cases for each single case), indicating that the outbreak has yet to be brought under control.

The effectiveness of the Nigerian response, scientists say, is illustrated by a dramatic decrease in the number of secondary cases over time.

The success story for Nigeria, they maintain, sets a hopeful example for other countries, including the United States.

Co-authors of the Eurosurveillance paper are Gerardo Chowell, Arizona State University; Folorunso Oludayo Fasina, University of Pretoria, South Africa; Aminu Shittu, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Nigeria; David Lazarus, National Veterinary Research Institute, Plateau State, Nigeria; Oyewale Tomori, Nigerian Academy of Science, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria; Lone Simonsen, George Washington University, Washington, D. C.; and Cecile Viboud, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md.

-- Cheryl Dybas, NSF (
-- Julie Newberg, ASU
Related Programs
Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Disease

WHITE HOUSE READOUTS OF PRESIDENT'S CALL WITH PRIME MINISTER ABE OF JAPAN AND VIDEO CONFERENCE WITH EUROPEAN LEADERS

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE 

October 15, 2014

Readout of the President’s Call with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe

President Obama spoke yesterday evening with Prime Minister Abe of Japan to discuss cooperation in confronting the Ebola epidemic, their shared vision for the Trans Pacific Partnership, and the security situation in Northeast Asia. President Obama thanked Prime Minister Abe for the important contributions Japan has made to the Ebola response effort and encouraged him to consider additional commitments.  The two leaders agreed that the international community urgently needs to do more to address this health security emergency, by providing personnel, supplies, and funds in support of the effort.  President Obama and Prime Minister Abe agreed on the economic and strategic importance of the Trans Pacific Partnership, and the President stressed the need to be bold in order to achieve their shared vision of a more prosperous and integrated Asia-Pacific region.  The two leaders discussed regional dynamics in Northeast Asia. The President reaffirmed that our alliances remain the cornerstone of our engagement with the region, and underscored the importance of enhancing communication and cooperation among U.S. allies in Northeast Asia in order to ensure stable relations over the long-term.

October 15, 2014

Readout of the President's Video Conference with British Prime Minister David Cameron, French President François Hollande, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi

Today, the President participated in a video conference with his counterparts Prime Minister David Cameron of the United Kingdom, President François Hollande of France, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, and Prime Minister Matteo Renzi of Italy.  The group discussed the international response to the Ebola epidemic in West Africa, including steps that are being taken to counter the spread of the disease.  The President stressed the need for a faster and more robust international response to the Ebola epidemic, and underscored the need to increase assistance and international contributions for Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea.  The leaders agreed to work together to enlist greater support from more countries and to coordinate their efforts on the ground.  President Obama made clear that the world must marshal the finances as well as the international personnel required to bend the curve of the epidemic, noting that it constitutes a human tragedy as well as a threat to international security.

On ISIL, the group reviewed coalition efforts to date in the campaign to degrade and ultimately destroy ISIL in Iraq and Syria, including stemming the flow of foreign fighters and building the capabilities of the Iraqi Security Forces and the moderate Syrian opposition.  The President stressed that the military dimension of the campaign is just one aspect of the broader effort to counter ISIL.  He noted the importance of countering ISIL propaganda, and our ongoing efforts to put forward an affirmative vision that contrasts with ISIL’s violent and hateful ideology. The leaders also agreed that the coalition will continue to coordinate in order to counter sources of ISIL funding.

On Ukraine, the leaders discussed the need for Russia to fulfill all of its obligations under the Minsk agreements.  Additionally, they discussed efforts to work alongside international financial institutions to support Ukraine’s economy.

The President looks forward to continuing his conversations with his counterparts.

SECRETARY KERRY, U.K. FOREIGN SECRETARY HAMMOND MAKE REMARKS ON ISIL, EBOLA CRISIS

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 

Secretary's Remarks: Remarks With U.K. Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond

10/08/2014 01:40 PM EDT

Remarks With U.K. Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond

Remarks

John Kerry

Secretary of State

Treaty Room

Washington, DC

October 8, 2014

SECRETARY KERRY: Good morning, everybody. I’m very privileged to be here welcoming Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond to the State Department, and I’m even more privileged to work with him and to form a partnership that gives full gusto to the meaning of the special relationship that Great Britain and the United States share. So it is important for us to be continuing – I think we – Philip mentioned to me we’ve probably met eight times already in the course of a few weeks of his being on this job, having shifted from being defense secretary.

And we share a lot in this effort. In the fight against ISIL, the British people have already borne a very heavy burden, and it’s a pain felt personally by everybody in the United States and Great Britain as well. We’ve both seen our hostages brutally murdered in barbaric acts that shock the conscience of the world, but the response of both of our countries is not to wilt; it is to fight, to push back against this barbarity. And we are doing so.

I want to thank Foreign Secretary Hammond for the commitment the United Kingdom has made to the international coalition that will degrade and defeat ISIL over the next months, in the period ahead. The Royal Air Force is now conducting airstrikes on ISIL positions in Iraq, and the United Kingdom has provided some of the strongest humanitarian support in Iraq – more than $36 million in water and shelter, food, and medicine to save the lives of innocent people.

And the United States and the United Kingdom are also standing together as we battle Ebola in West Africa. And we are monitoring particularly this situation, and we’re very grateful for the way that Great Britain has now ramped up its efforts in Sierra Leone, including deploying a civil-military task force, constructing more than 700 beds in Ebola treatment unites, and providing essential supplies and personnel.

President Obama has made it crystal clear that Ebola is an urgent global crisis that demands an urgent global response. The United States has intensified every aspect of our engagement, and that includes providing Ebola treatment units, recruiting first responders, and supplying a critical set of medical equipment.

Just 48 hours ago, President Obama convened another strategy meeting at the White House in order to discuss where we are and where we need to get to, and I want to discuss that in a moment. But in addition to that, I have been in daily contact with Rajiv Shah and – the USAID director, and Deputy Secretary of State Heather Higginbottom, and our Ebola Coordinator Ambassador Nancy Powell, in order to make sure that we are bringing all of our resources to this effort.

I’m here this morning to make an urgent plea to countries in the world to step up even further. While we are making progress, we are not where we can say that we need to be. And there is additional – there are additional needs that have to be met in order for the global community to be able to properly respond to this challenge, and to make sure that we protect people in all of our countries.

There are specific needs, and I want to emphasize those needs by showing a few slides, if I can. As you’ll see in the first slide to my left here, we need more countries to move resources of specific kinds. It is not just a question of sending people, though it is vital to send people. But we need Ebola treatment units. We need health care workers. We need medevac capacity. We need mobile laboratory and staff. We need nonmedical support: telecommunications, generators, incinerators, public communications capacity, training, construction. We also need large assistance of health system strengthening, of cash that countries could contribute, budget support, food, other humanitarian efforts, and we need ways of getting that equipment to people.

All of these things are frankly urgent in order to be able to quickly move to contain the spread of Ebola. We need airlines to continue to operate in West Africa and we need borders to remain open. And we need to strengthen the medevac capacity. We need countries to contribute more Ebola treatment centers, and we need other African countries with the capacity to send responders to join the effort. And we need to make sure that the health care workers who go are properly trained, properly equipped, and supported in order to prevent additional infections.

Now, as you can see in the next slide to my left here, this gives you a sense of who has contributed and what they have contributed. And the fact is that the United Kingdom and the United States, between them, have contributed $120 million to the United Nations response. There are smaller countries that have stepped up to the plate – some quite remarkably. Some smaller countries are contributing way above their per capita population compared to other countries.

But the fact is more countries can and must step up in order to make their contributions felt, and this chart tells the story. Those are not enough countries to make the difference to be able to deal with this crisis. And we need more nations – every nation has an ability to do something on this challenge. And the next chart will show the – as you see, we have a shortfall still of some $300 million. The United Nations has identified $1 billion in urgent needs, which is what are reflected in that pie chart. The World Bank has put in 22 percent. The U.S.A. has put in 11 percent. Private sector, 10 percent. Others – you can see the tally.

But this unfunded is a critical component of our ability to be able to meet this challenge, and we need people to step up now. Now is the time for action, not words. And frankly, there is not a moment to waste in this effort.

Both Foreign Secretary Hammond and I also remain deeply committed on another issue, and that is the question of a Europe which is whole and free and at peace. Together with our partners in the European Union, the United States and the United Kingdom are supporting Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the Ukrainian Government’s efforts to implement important democratic reforms. We agree on the need for Russia to withdraw its forces immediately from Ukraine, to end its material support for separatists, and to meet its commitments under the Minsk ceasefire which they have agreed to, and to put in place the peace plan agreements.

Russia’s actions over the past months have challenged the most basic principles of our international system. Borders cannot and should not be redrawn at the barrel of a gun, and people have a right in their own country, within their sovereign borders, to determine their own future. So together with the G7, our European partners and other allies, we have made it clear that we are prepared to do even more to ensure that the international order prevails and that with one voice, we prove that we mean what we say and we say what we mean.

Finally, I want to mention that tomorrow morning, Foreign Secretary Hammond and I will travel to my hometown, Boston, to focus on an issue that animates President Obama and Prime Minister Cameron, both of whom – and which also demands all of our urgent attention, and that is our shared responsibility to confront climate change. I appreciate Foreign Secretary Hammond’s personal leadership on this issue. We can conclude a new international agreement that is ambitious, effective, and inclusive of all countries, particularly the largest greenhouse gas emitters, of which we are one. But we will also only get there in the end – even if one large emitter were to eliminate all of its emissions, that won’t do the job. We will only get there in the end if we make it clear that all countries must join in this effort and that inaction is not an option.

So Mr. Foreign Secretary, I’m delighted to welcome you here at this time of obvious significant global challenge. We greatly appreciate, as I said, your partnership, your leadership, and we look forward to continuing to work with you. Thank you.

FOREIGN SECRETARY HAMMOND: Thank you. Thank you very much, John. It’s a great pleasure to be back here in Washington, this time in my new role as foreign secretary. When I came here many times as defense secretary, I was always clear that the U.S. is Britain’s most important military partner. As foreign secretary, I’m equally clear that the United States it the UK’s greatest foreign policy ally. And the range of issues that we’ve discussed today and that the Secretary has outlined reflects how closely we work together on a huge range of issues in foreign affairs.

That relationship is based on our shared history, our shared values, and our longstanding cooperation on a range of global issues, from fighting the threat of extremism, promoting stability in countries such as Libya, dealing with the challenge to the established order in Ukraine, addressing global crises like Ebola, and promoting an ambitious EU-U.S. free trade agreement.

I want to begin, if I may, by paying tribute to Secretary Kerry for his energy and resolve in dealing with some of the most challenging foreign policy issues the world has faced for a while. I’ve only been in this job for three months, but as John said, we’ve already met eight or so times. Every week, we seem to be in a different city somewhere discussing these challenging issues that we’re having to deal with. And I’ve observed him in action. I’ve seen his tireless commitment and inexhaustible enthusiasm, which is the personification of U.S. leadership on these many, many challenges that we have to deal with together around the world.

And our meeting today comes at a pivotal moment in addressing the situation in Iraq and Syria and responding to the atrocities that are being committed by ISIL – atrocities that have been visited upon UK and U.S. citizens, but are also being felt by ordinary Muslims in Iraq and Syria every day of every week. It is clear that tackling ISIL requires a strong military response from the international community, but that has to be combined with a clear diplomatic plan to support the new Iraqi Government’s inclusive program; to hamper ISIL’s access to funds, fighters, and resources; and a political strategy to combat the poisonous ideology that underpins ISIL; and counter those trying to spread sectarian violence and hatred across the region and beyond.

We now have those elements in place, and I am pleased that Britain is playing a key role in that response, leading efforts at the UN to cut off ISIL funding, a long-running counter-radicalization program at home, and now RAF combat jets and surveillance assets contributing to the military response. Britain will continue to work closely with coalition partners on further actions that we can take across the international community to ensure that we tackle ISIL not just through military action but through all those other strands of action which are essential to ensure our long-term success.

We have also, as Secretary Kerry has said, discussed the situation in Ukraine and the crucial importance of implementing the 12-point peace plan. Ukraine is a sovereign country; its people are entitled to make their decisions about their country’s future. There can be no Russian veto on Ukrainian democracy. And Ukraine’s President Poroshenko will need continuing international support to ensure stability within the country and to ensure that the Ukraine is able to go on making decisions about its own future. And we spent some time this morning discussing ways in which the UK and the U.S. can work with other partners, international partners particularly in the European Union, to continue to support President Poroshenko in those efforts.

And of course, we spoke about the appalling situation in West Africa where the spread of Ebola virus is a real cause for concern. Last week we held – I chaired a conference in London on defeating Ebola, and I said then that the disease is an unprecedented threat that knows no borders. We have to get ahead of this disease, but if we get ahead of it, if we rise to the challenge, we can contain it and beat it. We know how to do this. It is not complicated to do. It just requires a large focus of resource and effort to deliver it.

And Secretary Kerry and I discussed the increased measures that the U.S. is leading in Liberia and that the UK is leading in Sierra Leone. We now need, as the Secretary has said, the wider international community to step up to the plate and deliver that additional resource – not just money, but trained medical and clinical personnel to lead that effort on the ground. We all have to do more if we are going to prevent what is currently a crisis from becoming a catastrophe.

The UK has committed over $200 million to the program in Sierra Leone. We have military and civilian teams on the ground, a construction program to deliver 700 Ebola treatment beds. This morning, I joined a COBRA emergency committee meeting in London by video link from the British Embassy here, and we decided at that meeting to deploy the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Argus to Freetown with three Merlin helicopters embarked to provide a communication and transport capability on the ground. We’re also conducting trials in Sierra Leone of a new model of Ebola care unit, a primary care triaging system for those with early stage symptoms of Ebola.

It’s also important that we remember that our national security is dependent upon our economic security. We can’t have a strong defense without a strong economy underpinning it. Later this afternoon, I will be holding a discussion at the Atlantic Council here in Washington on the benefits of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership between the United States and the EU. The UK remains committed to this ambitious deal and will be a cheerleader for it within the European Union. If we achieve it, it will create the largest free trade zone in the world, bringing more jobs and more growth to both Europe and the United States, and setting the standards for trade deals for many years to come, allowing us to establish our international standards as the standards for trade patents in the coming decades.

And tomorrow, I look forward to our visit to Massachusetts to tour the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center’s wind blade testing facility in Charlestown. John and I agree that climate change represents a strategic threat to global prosperity and to global security. Innovation and investment in clean energy technology must be at the heart of our response and can help us turn a threat into an economic opportunity. The UK and the U.S. will work together to ensure the world responds to this threat before it is too late, including through the conclusion of an effective global climate deal at Paris at the end of next year.

So once again, John, I’m delighted to be here. Thank you again for your leadership on these multiple challenges that face us, and I very much look forward to working with you across all of these areas of activity to preserve and to strengthen this very special relationship. Thank you.

SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you very much.

MS. PSAKI: The first question will be from Elise Labott of CNN.

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. Secretary. The U.S. intensified airstrikes overnight on Kobani. Has there been a decision now to save Kobani from falling? Because yesterday, your spokesman and other officials suggested that you had larger strategic priorities than saving Kobani or any particular city or town.

And I’d like to talk to you about the reluctance of Turkey. They have tanks at the border, soldiers at the ready, but this NATO ally has not done really much to save this town inches from its border. What did you ask the prime minister to do in recent conversations? The president has said that they won’t do more unless you act to get rid of Assad. Is this an excuse, and – or are you deferring to Turkey here? Have you not been partnering with the Kurds, who have been battling ISIS for a year and are decidedly secular, to save the city?

And Foreign Secretary, you spoke a lot about what you’re doing for the coalition, particularly in Iraq. But I’m wondering whether you see Britain furthering that action into Syria, or is there a kind of disagreement on whether the British should take part in airstrikes and what the goals are in Syria? Thank you.

SECRETARY KERRY: Thanks. Thank you. Thanks, Elise. Well, we’re deeply concerned about the people of Kobani, who are battling against ISIL terrorists. And indeed, we have talked to the leaders of Turkey. I talked with Prime Minister Davutoglu, I think, twice yesterday and the day before. We have conducted additional strikes in the region. We conducted strikes both Monday and Tuesday and now. But as horrific as it is to watch in real time what’s happening in Kobani, it’s also important to remember that you have to step back and understand the strategic objective and where we have begun over the course of the last weeks.

We’re literally just coming out of the UN meeting at which we announced the coalition, literally have just been deploying the first efforts to liberate – as you know, a few weeks ago – Sinjar Mountain, the siege on Amirli, the Haditha Dam, the Mosul Dam, and we were very successful in those efforts. And the Iraqi forces within Iraq are standing up and have had some successes – some setbacks too – but some successes over the course of the last days.

But General Allen is literally only on his first trip right now in the region. He will be going to Turkey tomorrow. He is going to have long meetings through tomorrow and Friday in which we hope to determine exactly how Turkey will now enter this having resolved their hostage crisis. Clearly, on their border, this is of enormous concern to Turkey and they recognize that.

QUESTION: But where are they?

SECRETARY KERRY: These things have to be done in a thoughtful and careful way so everybody understands who is doing what and what the implications are of their doing it and where you go as a result. And I am absolutely confident that tomorrow, the discussions will take place directly with Ambassador McGurk and General Allen and CENTCOM. General Lloyd Austin is very much involved in directing those strikes now and in doing what he can within the framework of the current structure. But this is a structure that is evolving on a daily basis, and notwithstanding the crisis in Kobani, the original targets of our efforts have been the command and control centers, the infrastructure. We’re trying to deprive the – ISIL of the overall ability to wage this, not just in Kobani but throughout Syria and into Iraq. So I think you will see over the next hours, days the fullness of that strategy evolving and decisions being made about the Turks and others as to exactly what role they’re going to play.

FOREIGN SECRETARY HAMMOND: And following on from that, you asked about the UK’s position. We have – we were asked by the Iraqi Government to provide support in Iraq. We obtained parliamentary approval for that support and we’re already in action in Iraq. We absolutely have not ruled out playing a role in Syria. We will require further parliamentary approval if we decide that that is the right thing for us to do, but as Secretary Kerry said, this is a coalition. There are many players in it and many different tasks to be carried out. There’s some division of labor here, specialization of roles. And just as we wait to see exactly how Turkey will make its contribution to the coalition, so the UK is still considering whether the right way for us to make a contribution – the way in which we can most usefully add value to the coalition – is to extend our military permissions to operations in Syria. If we conclude that is the right thing to do, we’ll ask the British parliament for approval of that decision.

MS. PSAKI: The second question is from Peter Foster at Telegraph.

QUESTION: Thank you. My first question relates to Kobani and Syria. The French president has indicated he supports Turkish calls for a buffer zone. Do either have – either of you have any comment on that, and have any sense of what form a buffer zone might take and what purpose it might serve?

And just to follow up on British role – military role in the Iraq-Syria situation, the foreign secretary has indicated that Britain would be receptive to American requests if there was a specific military role that Britain could play. This question to Secretary Kerry: Do you see a useful role that Britain could play militarily in Syria? I think particularly if, say, Kobani, where our Brimstone missile could have a role in – it’s a very low-caliber missile. It could have a role in these very closed urban environments. Do you see America seeing a role for Britain in Syria?

FOREIGN SECRETARY HAMMOND: May I answer that question first? We are at the stage of exploring – as the Secretary said, this is very new territory. I mean, we’re only in the first week or two of the coalition’s existence and operation. The idea of a buffer zone is one that has been floated. We’d have to explore with other allies and partners what is meant by a buffer zone, how such a concept would work, but I certainly wouldn’t want to rule it out at this stage.

In terms of the UK’s potential military contribution in Syria, we would see this as a military question: Is there a militarily useful role that UK assets could play? And Secretary Kerry may want to say something about that, but I think this is a question for the military people. General Allen has his role; CENTCOM will be in the lead on this. If CENTCOM commanders see a specific role for UK military assets, I’m sure that they will not be slow in requesting them.

SECRETARY KERRY: Look, in broad, generic terms, can Great Britain be useful? Absolutely, in so many different ways. But this is, as Philip has just said, a specific determination that has to be made with respect to a very specific mission, and it’s up to General Austin, our CENTCOM commander, to make that decision. And he will do so with the appropriate consultation with his counterparts and with the President with respect to the overall mission. But in – there’s no question that we are very happy to have our friend and ally Great Britain as part of this, and there’s all kinds of things that we can do together in this endeavor.

QUESTION: And the buffer zone, Secretary?

SECRETARY KERRY: The buffer zone – as Philip said, the buffer zone is an idea that’s been out there. It’s worth examining. It’s worth looking at very, very closely. There are a million-plus refugees who have crossed the border. There were another 180,000 or so driven out in the last few days from Kobani. This should not be a problem that is thrust onto Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, where they bear an incredible burden with respect to their societies. And if Syrian citizens can return to Syria and be protected in an area across the border, there’s a lot that would commend that. But at the same time, you’d have to guarantee safety, guarantee there wouldn’t be attacks by the government, other kinds of things would have to happen. So it needs a thorough examination. We’re all in favor of looking at this very closely, and that will clearly be one of the things that General Allen will be having discussions on and, subsequently, the active line authority commanders will have discussions on over the course of the next days.

MS. PSAKI: Thank you, everyone.

SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you all.

WHITE HOUSE VIDEO: SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS HOLD BRIEFING ON GOVERNMENT'S RESPONSE TO EBOLA

PRESIDENT OBAMA'S REMARKS ON EBOLA

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE 

September 25, 2014

Remarks by President Obama at U.N. Meeting on Ebola

United Nations Building

New York City, New York

11:15 A.M. EDT

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Mr. Secretary-General, thank you for bringing us together today to address an urgent threat to the people of West Africa, but also a potential threat to the world.  Dr. Chan, heads of state and government, especially our African partners, ladies and gentlemen:  As we gather here today, the people of Liberia and Sierra Leone and Guinea are in crisis.  As Secretary-General Ban and Dr. Chan have already indicated, the Ebola virus is spreading at alarming speed.  Thousands of men, women and children have died.  Thousands more are infected.  If unchecked, this epidemic could kill hundreds of thousands of people in the coming months.  Hundreds of thousands.

Ebola is a horrific disease.  It’s wiping out entire families.  It has turned simple acts of love and comfort and kindness -- like holding a sick friend’s hand, or embracing a dying child -- into potentially fatal acts.  If ever there were a public health emergency deserving an urgent, strong and coordinated international response, this is it.

But this is also more than a health crisis.  This is a growing threat to regional and global security.  In Liberia, in Guinea, in Sierra Leone, public health systems have collapsed.  Economic growth is slowing dramatically.  If this epidemic is not stopped, this disease could cause a humanitarian catastrophe across the region.  And in an era where regional crises can quickly become global threats, stopping Ebola is in the interest of all of us.

The courageous men and women fighting on the front lines of this disease have told us what they need.  They need more beds, they need more supplies, they need more health workers, and they need all of this as fast as possible.  Right now, patients are being left to die in the streets because there’s nowhere to put them and there’s nobody to help them.  One health worker in Sierra Leone compared fighting this outbreak to “fighting a forest fire with spray bottles.”  But with our help, they can put out the blaze.

Last week, I visited the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is mounting the largest international response in its history.  I said that the world could count on America to lead, and that we will provide the capabilities that only we have, and mobilize the world the way we have done in the past in crises of similar magnitude.  And I announced that, in addition to the civilian response, the United States would establish a military command in Liberia to support civilian efforts across the region.

Today, that command is up and it is running.  Our commander is on the ground in Monrovia, and our teams are working as fast as they can to move in personnel, equipment and supplies.  We’re working with Senegal to stand up an air bridge to get health workers and medical supplies into West Africa faster.  We’re setting up a field hospital, which will be staffed by personnel from the U.S. Public Health Service, and a training facility, where we’re getting ready to train thousands of health workers from around the world.  We’re distributing supplies and information kits to hundreds of thousands of families so they can better protect themselves.  And together with our partners, we’ll quickly build new treatment units across Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, where thousands will be able to receive care.

Meanwhile, in just the past week, more countries and organizations have stepped up their efforts -- and so has the United Nations.  Mr. Secretary-General, the new UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response that you announced last week will bring all of the U.N.’s resources to bear in fighting the epidemic.  We thank you for your leadership.

So this is all progress, and it is encouraging.  But I want us to be clear:  We are not moving fast enough.  We are not doing enough.  Right now, everybody has the best of intentions, but people are not putting in the kinds of resources that are necessary to put a stop to this epidemic.  There is still a significant gap between where we are and where we need to be.  We know from experience that the response to an outbreak of this magnitude has to be fast and it has to be sustained.  It’s a marathon, but you have to run it like a sprint.  And that’s only possible if everybody chips in, if every nation and every organization takes this seriously.  Everybody here has to do more.

International organizations have to move faster, and cut through red tape and mobilize partners on the ground as only they can.  More nations need to contribute critical assets and capabilities -- whether it is air transport, or medical evacuation, or health care workers, or equipment, or treatment.  More foundations can tap into the networks of support that they have, to raise funds and awareness.  More businesses, especially those who already have a presence in the region, can quickly provide their own expertise and resources, from access to critical supply chains to telecommunications.  And more citizens -- of all nations -- can educate themselves on this crisis, contribute to relief efforts, and call on their leaders to act.  So everybody can do something.  That’s why we’re here today.

And even as we meet the urgent threat of Ebola, it’s clear that our nations have to do more to prevent, detect and respond to future biological threats -- before they erupt into full-blown crises.  Tomorrow, in Washington, I’ll host 44 nations to advance our Global Health Security Agenda, and we are interested in working with any country that shares this commitment.

Just to emphasize this issue of speed again.  When I was down at the CDC -- and perhaps this has already been discussed, but I want to emphasize this -- the outbreak is such where at this point more people will die.  But the slope of the curve, how fast we can arrest the spread of this disease, how quickly we can contain it is within our control.  And if we move fast, even if imperfectly, then that could mean the difference between 10,000, 20,000, 30,000 deaths versus hundreds of thousands or even a million deaths.  So this is not one where there should be a lot of wrangling and people waiting to see who else is doing what.  Everybody has got to move fast in order for us to make a difference.  And if we do, we'll save hundreds of thousands of lives.

Stopping Ebola is a priority for the United States.  I've said that this is as important a national security priority for my team as anything else that's out there.  We'll do our part.  We will continue to lead, but this has to be a priority for everybody else.  We cannot do this alone.  We don't have the capacity to do all of this by ourselves.  We don't have enough health workers by ourselves.  We can build the infrastructure and the architecture to get help in, but we're going to need others to contribute.

To my fellow leaders from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, to the people of West Africa, to the heroic health workers who are on the ground as we speak, in some cases, putting themselves at risk -- I want you to know that you are not alone.  We’re working urgently to get you the help you need.  And we will not stop, we will not relent until we halt this epidemic once and for all.

So I want to thank all of you for the efforts that are made. But I hope that I'm properly communicating a sense of urgency here.  Do not stand by, thinking that somehow, because of what we've done, that it's taken care of.  It's not.  And if we don't take care of this now we are going to see fallout effects and secondary effects from this that will have ramifications for a long time, above and beyond the lives that will have been lost.

I urge all of you, particularly those who have direct access to your heads of state, to make sure that they are making this a top priority in the next several weeks and months.

Thank you very much.  (Applause.)

END
11:25 A.M. EDT