Guterres calls for increased int’l support as Ebola outbreak rapidly worsens in DRC

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres Thursday told reporters in New York that the Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is experiencing the fastest-spreading and largest Ebola epidemic in the country's history, and appealed to the international community for urgent support.

Speaking to reporters, Guterres said that as of Monday, the DRC had confirmed 5,656 Ebola cases and 2,715 deaths, with approximately 500 new infections being reported each week. The outbreak continues to expand across a wide geographic area, with women and children disproportionately affected.

"We are facing a public health emergency in one of the world's most fragile settings. For example, three decades of conflict in Ituri Province alone have displaced 1 million people and severely weakened access to food, healthcare and other basic services," Guterres said.

He noted that across the region, more than 12 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance and protection, while the local health system remains overwhelmed, infrastructure is weak, and some communities remain difficult to reach.

Frontline health and humanitarian workers are also facing grave risks. More than 40 health workers have lost their lives while treating patients, while others have been infected, and treatment centers and ambulances have come under attack, said Guterres.

"Every gap in funding and operational support makes the Ebola response more challenging," Guterres said, adding that the UN has put forward a detailed 2.13 billion U.S.-dollar humanitarian needs and response plan, 48 percent of which is funded.

The current resources will last weeks, not months, he said, adding that without additional funding, vital operations will run out of money just when they need to expand.

The secretary-general called on donor nations to bridge the remaining 1.1 billion U.S. dollars gap to expand health services, disease surveillance, logistics, community engagement, emergency staffing, and humanitarian aid.

Separately, the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa announced on Thursday that the Ebola outbreak in Uganda has officially been declared over.

According to a WHO statement, the last Ebola patient in Uganda completed treatment and was discharged on July 16, and the country has since recorded no new confirmed cases for 42 consecutive days.

The Ugandan outbreak, which began on May 15, resulted in 20 confirmed cases, including 15 imported from the DRC and five locally transmitted cases, with two deaths reported.

Guterres calls for increased int’l support as Ebola outbreak rapidly worsens in DRC

The Third APEC Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM3) continued Friday in Dalian, northeast China's Liaoning Province, with participants highlighting early outcomes achieved since the start of the APEC "China Year" and expressing high expectations for the upcoming APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting scheduled for November in Shenzhen.

As the host of APEC 2026, China will hold the 33rd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Shenzhen City, south China's Guangdong Province from Nov. 18 to 19.

The ongoing SOM3 in Dalian is primarily tasked with reviewing and summarizing the work of the APEC "China Year" and promoting further progress in cooperation across various areas, in preparation for the Leaders' Meeting.

"Three major priorities were outlined -- openness, cooperation and innovation, and we are moving quite successfully. We are looking forward to the summit because it will be a very important one for us. And we hope and we will contribute fully into the outcomes of the summit in order to make it a very practical product for APEC to continue moving ahead in a very good pace," said Russia's APEC Senior Official Marat Berdyev.

"So far we have already finished three officials meetings and together with the senior officials meeting, we have also different committees meeting, and we have made a lot of achievements and lots of programs preparing for the [APEC Economic] Leaders' Meeting later this year. I have very high expectations because we have a very good year of meeting here in China and many committees are making good progress. So we expect that this deliverable will be announced at the APEC Leaders' Meeting," said Ding Guorong, chairman of APEC Economic Committee.

Since the launch of the APEC "China Year", China has hosted three senior officials' meetings and a series of activities under APEC Digital Week. It has also convened ministerial meetings on women and the economy, trade, tourism, forestry and food security.

More than 300 meetings and activities have been held in over 10 Chinese cities, attracting a cumulative total of around 7,000 participants.

Third APEC Senior Officials' Meeting continues in Dalian, prepares for Leaders' Meeting in Shenzhen