By Adaora OKOLI —
The Ebola outbreak of 2014-16 underscored two truths of global crisis response: fundraising during emergencies seldom works, and the UN’s general emergency-response fund is inadequate to pick up the slack. That is why a separate global fund, focused on disease outbreaks, should be created.
NEW ORLEANS – Six years ago, the Ebola virus ravaged West Africa. While Ebola is deadly and highly contagious, the economic and human costs could have been far lower if the international community had provided the needed support without delay. In the face of a new, fast-spreading virus, COVID-19, governments and international institutions are at risk of making the same mistake.