UNITED NATIONS: The presidents of Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone are appealing for $3.2 billion to help their countries recover from the Ebola epidemic which has devastated their economies, severely damaged their social fabric and killed more than 11,000.

Liberia’s president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, speaking on behalf of the three countries, told a UN meeting on Friday that international support will give millions of people a chance to rebuild their lives and promote regional stability and world trade.

She stressed that in an inter-connected world, “virus diseases, just like terrorism, know no national boundaries”. The first five pledges of help totaled nearly $1.5 billion — $340 from Britain, $450 million from the European Union, $360 million from the Islamic Development Bank, $266 million from the United States and $80 million from Japan.

Published in Dawn, July 11th, 2015

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