'Global Community must work faster to stop Ebola'

Mr Sammie Eddico, Ghana's Ambassador to Switzerland has urged the global community to redouble its efforts at combating the Ebola virus disease, which is gradually threatening basic human rights.

We must all work around the clock to combat the disease in the nearest possible time, everybody is at risk, and a global effort is therefore the only way out,he said.

Mr Eddico, who is also Ghana's Permanent Representative to the UN, World Trade Organization and other International Organizations in Geneva and Vienna, stated this during a working session with Ghanaian delegation attending the 59th Session of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) at Geneva, Switzerland.

He said: The Ebola disease goes beyond a health problem but is rapidly becoming a threat to social, economic, political and to the security of states not only in the affected countries of Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone or as the West African sub-region.

Mr Eddico made reference to the fear syndrome, reduction in the flow of human traffic to the affected countries and others in West Africa, which have not recorded any case, saying the implications for their economies and general well being of citizens were troubling.

Sadly,he said, other nationals were gradually becoming suspicious of all the people from the West African sub-region as carrying the disease.

Mr Eddico said the Ebola disease could, therefore, create the condition for discrimination and stigmatization.

He also used the platform to school the Ghanaian delegation in Geneva on the mandate of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

He explained that Article 21 of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women empowered CEDAW to make suggestions and general recommendations based on the examination of reports and information received from States parties.

These,as well as comments from States parties, were consequently, included in the session reports of the Committee.

The suggestions made, he said, were usually directed at United Nations entities,while general recommendations were addressed to States parties and usually they elaborated the Committee's view of the obligations assumed under the Convention.

Mrs Catherine Bob-Milliar, a Director, Department of Gender, Ministry of Gender,Children and Social Protection also up-dated Ghana's Mission on developments and measures government has adopted to eliminate discrimination against women.

She said as a signatory to CEDAW, and in fulfilment of its obligation under article 18, Ghana submitted its combined third, fourth and fifth reports, which covered the period 1993 2003, to the CEDAW Committee in January 2005 (CEDAW/C/GHA/3-5).

The report was considered at the Committees thirty-sixth session held in New York from August 7 to 25, 2006. The present, combined sixth and seventh report builds on past efforts at implementing CEDAW within the context of Ghana.

Eight Countries, including Ghana, defend their gender records before CEDAW at the ongoing session from October 20 to November 7, 2014 in Geneva, Switzerland.

The other countries are Belgium, Brunei Darussalam, China, Guinea, Poland, Solomon Islands, and Venezuela.