Minister of Health, Dr Kamba,
Minister of Communications, Mr Katembwe,
Governor of Ituri, Lieutenant General Nkashama,
Dear partners, friends and WHO colleagues,
Good afternoon Bunia,
It is a privilege to be here in Bunia. I wish the circumstances were different, but I came because the people of Ituri, the Kivus, and all of DRC deserve to know they are not alone.
We are not here to tell people what to do. We are here to listen. Communities understand their own challenges and their own solutions. Our role is to support you in implementing those solutions, together. Community ownership is what will bring this outbreak to an end.
During my visit I hope to meet with women’s groups, religious leaders, business leaders, young people and others during my stay here today and tomorrow. Building trust takes time, and it starts with listening.
Earlier today I met with the Ministers, the Governor, the Congolese Red Cross, community leaders, Africa CDC, UNICEF and WFP. Yesterday in Kinshasa, I met with Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka to discuss the outbreak and the government-led response.
I appreciated her commitment to ensuring that investments made during this response help strengthen DRC’s health system over the long term, because what we build here should last well beyond this outbreak.
I also met with the UN Country Team, health and humanitarian partners, and the diplomatic corps, and I am grateful for their continued support. We are here to work under the leadership of the Government of DRC, in service of its people.
And that service goes beyond Ebola.
While we fight this outbreak alongside you, we are committed to ensuring that other essential health services and humanitarian assistance continue to be provided to communities across Ituri and beyond.
DRC has faced Ebola before, sixteen times, and has ended every outbreak. This is the seventeenth. That history gives me real confidence.
This outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, for which no licensed vaccine or treatment currently exists.
But this is not without hope.
Ebola caused by the Bundibugyo virus can be survived with good medical care, and some people here in Ituri have already recovered. Seeking care early makes a real difference.
WHO is also working with partners to advance safe and effective vaccines and treatments through clinical trials.
Hand hygiene matters. Sharing accurate information matters. And safe, dignified burials matter too. I understand how painful it is to lose someone, and how much it means to honour them properly.
But certain practices, including touching the bodies of those who have died from Ebola, can spread the virus further. While we grieve for those we have lost, we must do everything we can so that we do not lose another. Protecting each other, even in grief, is one of the hardest and most important things we can do.
To those who have already contributed to the response, thank you. More support is still needed. I would also ask countries that have imposed travel bans or border closures to reconsider. These measures make the response harder, and they discourage the transparency that saves lives.
WHO will remain alongside DRC for as long as it takes. Our commitment doesn’t end when an outbreak does. You are not alone in this. We are here, we are with you, and we will see this through together. We want to leave behind health workers, hospitals, laboratories and services that will serve the people of Ituri for many years to come.
Merci beaucoup.
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