Pledges to a United Nations trust fund calling for nearly $1bn to fight Ebola in West Africa have more than doubled to almost $50m, days after it was disclosed that only one $100,000 donation had been deposited.
The United Nations said in September that $988m would be needed to try to halt the spread of the deadly virus over the next six months. Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea in West Africa have been hardest hit by Ebola, but cases have also been reported in Nigeria, Senegal, Spain and the United States.
Donors can contribute directly to UN agencies such as the World Health Organization and aid groups working in West Africa or to the trust fund created by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to allow for rapid, flexible funding of urgent needs. By Oct. 16, donors had committed $365m, but nearly all of that money was directed to UN agencies and aid groups. Only $100,000 from Colombia was deposited in the trust fund, which has received pledges totaling $19m from Chile, Australia, Estonia, India and Romania.
According to the trust fund website on Tuesday, Australia has deposited $8.7m and Venezuela has committed $5m. New non-binding pledges have also been received from Finland, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea and Kazakhstan, taking the total promised money to nearly $35m.