Assembly/AU/Dec.553(XXIV) Page 1 DECISION ON EBOLA VIRUS DISEASE (EVD) OUTBREAK Doc. Assembly/AU/3(XXIV) The Assembly, 1. TAKES NOTE of the Commission’s Report on the Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak (EVD) and the Report on the Socio-Economic Impacts of the EVD on Africa prepared by the UN Economic Commission for Africa and the recommendations therein; 2. COMMENDS the Commission and its Chairperson for their invaluable efforts to deal with the crisis of Ebola in West Africa, including: i) the implementation of the ASEOWA and the subsequent deployment of health volunteers from Member States to help countries affected by Ebola and RECOMMENDS the extension of ASEOWA’s mandate; ii) the mobilization of financial support and human and material resources; iii) the solidarity of the Member States, partners and the private sector; iv) the initiative undertaken at the level of mobilization of funds through the SMS with the cooperation of operators of companies of mobile. 3. ALSO COMMENDS the health volunteers who have provided heroically eminent services to our brothers and sisters in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone; 4. CALLS UPON Member States, who have not yet done so, to lift all restrictions imposed on Ebola affected countries in accordance with the decision of the Extraordinary Session of Executive Council of 8 September 2014, which advocated inter alia the non-closure of borders, and non-stigmatization of affected countries and their nationals; 5. INVITES the Member States that have accumulated rich experience in the fight against Ebola to share their knowledge with affected countries; 6. REQUESTS the international financial institutions and partner countries to cancel the debt of the three affected countries (Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone) to alleviate the impact of the Ebola crisis on the economies of these countries and assist in their economic recovery and development; 7. APPROVES the recommendation to urgently convene a Global Conference on the Ebola epidemic in 2015 in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea and REQUESTS the Commission to liaise with all stakeholders in this regard towards the implementation of this Decision;