NAN – The UN and a team of international experts on Friday, January 16, 2015 commenced an Ebola Recovery Assessment (ERA) mission in Sierra Leone.
The ERA mission was a result of consultations between the UN and the governments of the Mano River Union, following last December’s visit of the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon.
The ERA mission made up of experts from the European Union (EU), World Bank and the African Development Bank are collaborating with governments affected by the Ebola epidemic to access the impact of the virus on affected countries.
Mr David McLachlan-Karre of the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator in Sierra Leone, said the mission’s aim was to work with the governments of the countries hardest hit by the virus: Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.
He noted that ERA mission anchored in national ownership would also assess critical areas that would spearhead economic and social recovery in the post-Ebola era.
Karr said the readjustment of some aspects of UN and development partner programmes would be needed to ensure that efforts to contain Ebola are not interrupted.
He said that the mission was at the same time preparing the ground work for future recovery programming.
A statement from UN office in New York said the UN Country Team has been working on adjusting the results of the UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF), an anchoring development work plan.
It said this was aimed at ensuring that all country plans are in line with supporting the government to eradicate Ebola and set the country back on the path to development.
It said members of the team had held meeting with Sierra Leone’s Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Dr Kaifala Marah.
According to the statement, Marah underscored the need to include all stakeholders in the ERA process to avoid duplication of assessments and resource mobilisation efforts.
The leader of the inter-agency mission, Stan Nkwain, is the Deputy Director of the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support at the UN Development Programme (UNDP).
The statement quoted Nkwain as saying that the ERA’s four areas of focus would be on health, water and sanitation, infrastructure and basic services, socio-economic recovery.
He said it would also include peace building and closely aligned with the government’s Agenda for Prosperity.
