UN thankful to China's efforts in fighting Ebola

The United Nations is especially thankful for the timely and generous assistance provided by the Chinese government in the global fight against the spread of Ebola, a senior UN official said on Tuesday.

"China has supported the United Nations World Food Program's food assistance as well as sending medical experts and equipment at this very difficult time, to halt the advance of Ebola Virus Disease," said Brett Rierson, WFP's China Representative.

In mid-October, China contributed $6 million to WFP’s emergency operation to assist 1.3 million people impacted by Ebola in the three most-affected countries – Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

This substantial and timely contribution enabled WFP to purchase vital food supplies for emergency rations for more than 300,000 people as well as specialized nutrition products to help prevent malnutrition. Currently, WFP is stepping up the implementation so that the food can be delivered as quickly as possible.

Since the outbreak, the Chinese government has provided assistance of nearly $123 million in total to the overall humanitarian response the West African countries, which has reflected China’s longstanding commitment to the urgent humanitarian needs around the globe.

Rierson said WFP is working with enterprises to help raise further funds in China for the Ebola response.

"Enterprises and members of the public are concerned about the living conditions of children and families in Ebola-affected areas and they have told us that they are eager to support the work of WFP's assistance, which makes us very encouraged," he said.

"We need to unite all forces around the world, to scale up efforts and to perform even faster, in order to stop the spread of this deadly disease," he added.