Ebola, Peace and Security

Contributor(s): Karin Landgren | Ebola may not be a weapon but this disease threatens peace and security. To date, the total number of reported cases of Ebola exceeds 10,000, with over half of the reported cases occurring in Liberia. Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) Karin Landgren has run the UN peacekeeping operation in Liberia since mid-2012, with over 8,000 personnel including troops, police and civilians. Addressing the UN Security Council on 9th September 2014, Landgren said that Liberia faced its gravest crisis since the civil war, which ended in 2003. She pointed to a lack of confidence in the Government’s capacity to address the crisis, unstable political dynamics and deep economic uncertainty, noting that, “The enormous task of addressing Ebola has revealed persistent and profound institutional weaknesses, including in the security sector.” Can Ebola undo a decade of investment in Liberia's stability? In this public event Karin Landgren will discuss the threats posed by the Ebola crisis including to peace and security.