The government of the Philippines donated P90 million to the United Nations-led global response on the fight against the deadly Ebola Virus Disease (EVD).
On February 4, 2015, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario and United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, ad interim Terence D. Jones signed the Standard Administrative Agreement between the Republic of the Philippines and the Ebola Response Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTF).
In his statement, Secretary Del Rosario highlighted the Philippines’ commitment to assist the EVD outbreak response efforts, as well as protect and promote the welfare of Filipinos overseas.
“The Philippine Government welcomes the positive developments as reported by the WHO (as of 17 January 2015), with 5 of the 9 affected countries now declared Ebola-free,” said Secretary Del Rosario. “We however cannot rest now. Inspired by and eternally grateful for the outpouring of support by the international community in the aftermath of Super Typhoon Haiyan, this is but one way for us to give back.”
For his part, UNRC, a.i. Jones congratulated the government of the Philippines for this significant contribution to the global effort against EVD, and for addressing other global concerns such as climate change, disaster risk reduction and management, and the post-2015 sustainable development goals.
The ceremony was witnessed by World Health Organization Representative in the Philippines Dr Julie Lyn Hall, Philippine Health Undersecretary for Administration and Finance Dr. Nemesio T. Gako, and the 14-member Ebola Rapid Response Team, led by Ambassador Ricardo M. Endaya, that recently returned from West Africa to assist Filipinos in the Ebola-affected areas.
The Ebola Response MPTF was launched by the UN Secretary General as a common financing mechanism, to ensure the coherent response of the UN system and rapid and transparent mobilization of funding from all stakeholders. It is administered by the UNDP MPTF Office in New York.
