T

his letter refers to the article entitled '€œEbola: Africa'€™s image takes a hit'€, published in The Jakarta Post on Oct. 20.

Indeed, observers are right in noting that states are only seeking to prevent the Ebola virus from crossing their borders, while the international response to Ebola'€™s spread remains slow.

This inadequate reaction is regrettable, as there seems to be already a world consensus that the Ebola crisis is not an African event, but it is a global and multi-dimensional crisis, as it affects not only public health, but also has a negative effect on food security, on social cohesion, on economic and political stability.

Nobody is immune from the global threat posed by Ebola.

Fighting against a global danger demands global solidarity  and effective coordination of efforts at all possible levels.

From this perspective, the most authoritative inter-regional call for action against Ebola came from the 10th Asia '€“ Europe Meeting (ASEM 10) which was held in Milan, Italy, last week.

The meeting was attended by the heads of state and government, or their high-level representatives, of 53 Asian and European countries, including all 10 ASEAN members.

Asian and European leaders present at ASEM 10 expressed their common concern that the spread of the Ebola virus is a serious threat to global health and security.

They acknowledged the efforts by ASEM partners in providing aid to affected areas and called for further urgent action and greater national, regional and international collaboration to end the Ebola outbreak in a comprehensive and coordinated manner, including an exchange of best practices.

This appeal is in full harmony with a recent decision of the United Nations General Assembly to create the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response whose effectiveness will greatly depend on the spirit of genuine solidarity of the 193 member states in their collective battle against Ebola.

However, as World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim warned, '€œWe are losing the battle'€, and the reason is  the lack of international solidarity in efforts to stem the epidemic.

That attitude is contrary to the position of the United Nations according to which solidarity and a strong sense of moral responsibility must be the guiding lights of national and international policy.

They are not only ethical imperatives but also prerequisites for a prosperous, peaceful and secure world based on true partnership.

The recognition and the promotion of the duty of solidarity at the global level remain today a most complex and urgent task in the sphere of multilateral diplomacy.

Ioan Voicu
Bangkok