By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
November 12 --
When the UN
Security
Council met
about Liberia
on November
12, Liberia's
Ambassador
Marjon
Kamara
said "the
World Bank
recently gave
a gloomy
depiction of
the economic
effects of the
disease on the
three most
affected
countries -
Guinea,
Liberia and
Sierra Leone."
Per Thoresson,
Deputy
Ambassador of
Sweden which
chairs the UN
Peacebuilding
configuration
on Liberia,
specified that
“according to
the World
Bank, the
two-year
regional
financial
impact could
reach $32.6
billion by the
end of 2015.
The World Bank
also indicated
that Liberia's
revised
2014-15 budget
has an unmet
financing gap
of more than
half of the
budget deficit
projected at
over $300
million.”
So where's the
money going to
come from?
Back on
October 30,
Inner City
Press asked
the
International
Monetary Fund
about its
stated $130
million
commitment to
Liberia,
Sierra Leone
and Guinea.
Inner City
Press asked
IMF
spokesperson
Gerry Rice for
an update at
the IMF's
embargoed
briefing on
October 30.
Rice said the
outlook has
worsened, with
region-wide
fall offs in
travel and
tourism. As to
the three
countries most
impacted,
there are
"large
financing
needs likely
for 2015."
At the Annual
Meetings
earlier this
month, the IMF
met with the
three
countries'
authorities,
Rice said.
"2015 is going
to be a
challenging
year." If the
outbreak
spreads, it
would have
larger
spillovers.
The IMF, Rice
said, is
ready. We'll
see.
In the UN
Security
Council on
November 12,
the head of UN
Peacekeeping
Herve Ladsous
recited that
Justice
Minister
Christiana Tah
resigned and
five soldiers
have been
demoted for
disciplinary
offenses while
enforcing a
quarantine of
an
Ebola-affected
community in
Monrovia.
Under Ladsous,
it must be
noted, UN Peackeeping
has covered up
attacks on
civilians in Darfur
and the Central
African
Republic. Ladsous
himself refused
repeatedly to
answer Press
questions
about rapes by
his partners
in the DR
Congo Army.
Video
compilation
here. Most
recently,
Ladsous tried
to block the
Press' camera,
Vine
here. Thus
is the UN
UNdercut.
Also during
the October 30
embargoed IMF
briefing,
Inner City
Press
submitted this
question: "On
Ghana, does
the IMF have
any comment on
the October 28
launch of the
“Civil Society
Organization
Platform on
the IMF
Bailout to
Ghana”? Will
the IMF meet
with the
group?")
On
Ebola back on
August 28 Rice
told Inner
City Press
that the IMF
was working on
the ebola
crisis with
the government
of Liberia,
Sierra Leone
and
Guinea.
Later came the
$130 million
commitment.
While
most questions
on August 28
concerned IMF
Managing
Director
Christine
Lagarde being
under
investigation
-- she will
brief the IMF
Board “very
soon,” Rice
said, calling
it “highly
unlikely” it
would be on
August 29
along with the
Board's
meeting on
Ukraine --
Inner City
Press also
asked about
Yemen, Ghana,
Pakistan --
and ebola,
IMF transcript
here:
“Has
the IMF
produced any
estimates of
the impact of
the ebola
crisis? Any
IMF responses
to it?”
Rice
read out the
question, then
said that
ebola's "acute
impacts" are
“macro-economic”
and social,
hitting three
“already
fragile”
countries
(Guinea,
Liberia and
Sierra Leone).
He said
"growth is
likely to slow
sharply in all
three cases"
and
significant
financial
needs will
rise:
"increased
poverty and
food
insecurity"
and impacts on
employment in
the key
agricultural
sector.
Rice
concluded, "We
are actively
working with
all three
countries to
prepare...
additional
financing that
may be
required."
, 
