A new joint system to coordinate the evacuation of aid workers affected by the Ebola outbreak in West Africa is currently being finalized by the European Union and could be rolled out “in a matter of weeks,” Devex has learned.
The initiative follows a French proposal supported by the European Commission and ministers from among the 28 EU member states at a high-level meeting in Brussels Sept. 15 attended by Commission officials, EU ministers and representatives from United Nations agencies, Médecins Sans Frontières and other international nongovernmental organizations involved in the response to the epidemic.
According to French Health Minister Marisol Touraine, the proposal’s twin goals are to reassure organizations and their staff, and ensure the continuity of aid on the ground.