Ebola Crisis in West Africa - Coordination and Deployment of Humanitarian Experts - CANADEM 2014

November 2014 - On August 8 2014 the World Health Organization declared the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in West Africa an international health emergency. The Ebola outbreak started in Guinea and spread to Liberia and Sierra Leone. There have been over 15 000 cases of Ebola virus in Guinea Liberia and Sierra Leone to date including more than 5 400 deaths. The current outbreak is unprecedented in terms of its scale geographic reach humanitarian impact as well as its social and economic repercussions. The number of cases and deaths surpass all previous Ebola epidemics combined. With DFATD’s support CANADEM is helping to reduce and control the spread of the Ebola virus in West Africa by providing support for the deployment of Canadian and international humanitarian experts with United Nations agencies. Project activities include mobilizing and deploying up to 10 humanitarian experts to support UN agencies relief and recovery efforts in support of Ebola-affected populations.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) improved access by the United Nations to a screened pool of Canadian and international humanitarian experts who can deploy to West Africa; (2) strengthened ability of UN cluster leads and partners to respond and deliver essential services; and (3) increased UN capacity to coordinate and deliver humanitarian relief to Ebola-affected populations in Sierra Leone Guinea Liberia and other affected countries as needed The expected ultimate outcome is lives saved suffering alleviated and human dignity maintained in countries experiencing humanitarian crises or acute food insecurity.