the government which wasted their chance and ruined the economy, destroying jobs and slashing incomes, and yet not a single word on the deficit. a man who was part of the government which obliterated trust in our immigration system and yet not a word on how you rebuild it. so much for a radical plan from the official opposition. david cameron and george osborne, meanwhile, say don't worry, immigration can be slashed, human rights redrawn, taxes lowered, the nhs protected, and we can have all the benefits of being in europe while opting out of the bits we don't like. every worry can be fixed with a big wave of the union jack. how do they intend to deliver that? well, they've quietly ditched their commitment to reduce net migration to tens of thousands. conservative ministers have dragged their feet in implementing lib dem border controls. they want to scrap the universal

human rights brits have enjoyed since the days of winston churchill. and they're prepared to jeopardize britain's membership of the eu, and our prosperity with it, in order to appease their backbenchers. so much for a credible plan from the conservative party. and most astonishingly of all, they have chosen to single out the working-age poor to bear the brunt of the final years of deficit reduction, while refusing to ask the super-rich to make a single additional contribution. that's the people scraping by on the minimum wage. the jobseekers who've found themselves temporarily down on their luck. the men and women trying to earn their way out of poverty, often working more than one job. and given the conservatives are not planning a single tax increase, how will they pay for all their spending commitments?

they will have no choice but to cut the services they have not protected like social care, policing, education, education right to the bone. no wonder they've stopped claiming that we're all in it together. [applause] say what you will about the liberal democrats. we may no longer be untainted, as we were by the freedom of opposition. i may no longer be the fresh faced outsider, but we still stand for a different kind of politics. treating people like adults. not shirking the difficult dilemmas this country faces, but confronting them head on. not pretending there's a magic wand answer to every problem when there isn't.

not doing things just because they're popular. not being afraid to court controversy when we have to stand up for something we believe. trying, every day, to do what lies at the heart of politics at its best, decent people, driven by decent values, resolving problems which can only be resolved together for the good of all. [applause] so our mission now is to give people a reason to reject bitter, us-and-them politics, to shun the politics of blame and fear, and choose something better. to do that, we have to provide the one thing that so many people across britain still lack yet crave -- opportunity. government can't do everything

for you. it can't make life perfect and no one should pretend it can. but government can strive to level the playing field so that you and your family can look to your future and see the chance to get on. no matter who you are. opportunity for everyone. if you can see that you have a fair chance to get on in life, you don't need to look for someone to blame. if you give people a sense of fair play. the power to shape their own lives and that of their communities. the chance to fulfil their talents, pursue their aspirations, regardless of the circumstances of their birth. the anger, the powerlessness will wane and the hope of a better future can take root. after the london riots three years ago, i commissioned some research into why some people had rioted and others had not. i'll never forget hearing about the young men and women who told

the researchers. of course i didn't riot. they wanted to apply for apprenticeships. they'd seen jobs they wanted and didn't want to ruin their chances. you see, give people a future and they won't trash the present. give people hope and they turn their backs on fear. and yet britain is still a place where opportunity is handed down like an heirloom, not spread around like a universal right. educational achievement, professional advancement, wealth, life expectancy all our measures of success are still umbilically tied to an individual's background rather than the talents they possess. so the question is which political party can do something about it? look, i'm sure ed miliband and david cameron would say that their parties are parties of opportunity, no one's against opportunity.

but the point is, they can't deliver it for everybody. there is no opportunity without a stronger economy, to give people good jobs, business opportunities, the money to follow their dreams. that's why labour is not the answer. and without a fairer society you can't create opportunity for everyone, instead of just those lucky few at the top. that's why the conservatives are not the answer. fairness without a strong economy does not work. a strong economy without fairness doesn't work either. and as the last few weeks have now put beyond doubt, there's only one party with the head and the heart, the resolve and the compassion, to deliver both. to deliver opportunity for everyone, and it's us. [applause] ar

it starts with giving people power over their lives. powerlessness is the enemy of opportunity. it's why we care as passionately about civil liberties as we do about good schools. it's why blocking the so-called snooper's charter was as important as delivering a massive increase in free childcare. because a big brother state which demands the storage of the websites you visit is as threatening to real freedom and opportunity as a state which fails to help toddlers get the support and care they need. and while we're on the subject. i say this to theresa may. stop playing party politics with national security. stop playing on people's fears simply to try and get your own way. your communications data bill was disproportionate, disempowering, we blocked it

once and we'd do it again. [applause] there are times when the state needs to keep its nose out of our lives, to give us the freedom to make the most of our lives. there are times when the state needs to extend a helping hand so that everyone can make the most of their lives. that is a smart, liberal, enabling state. and at its heart are powerful citizens. but, if there's one thing i've learned over the last four and a half years, it's that the hardest thing about being in power. is getting vested interests to give up their hold on power.

just look at where we've been thwarted. giving people a democratic say over their lawmakers in the house of lords, blocked by labour and the conservatives. a clean up of party funding to restrain the influence of big money, blocked by labour and the conservatives. the conservatives have even told us in the most explicit terms. you can't have your mansion tax because our donors won't wear it. so proud are they of this act of brazen self-interest they even wrote to wealthy homeowners boasting about it, in the hope of courting more cash. within hours of the historic scotland vote, when we were meant to be cracking on with the plan for further devolution, a plan that this party will not see hijacked, or diluted, or delayed. [applause]

we were supposed to be working together, the two other parties were at it again. the tories trying to impose an entirely self-serving system of tory votes for english laws on the house of commons, in order to give more say to their mps. labour ignoring the problem altogether in order to give more say to their mps. well they can both forget it. whatever reforms we do will be fair and right by the british people, and that will be guaranteed by our mps. [applause] and they still simply cannot grasp that spreading opportunity means putting people in control in scotland, northern ireland, wales, and in communities up and down england too. we've done a lot to release

whitehall's grip. by the time the election is called next year every single part of the uk, every nation, every city, our towns and villages, will all have more power than the day the coalition was formed, just as we said. but i want us to go so much further, supporting strong, prosperous, empowered communities, able to shape their own futures. and to anyone who thinks that in the next parliament we should cut our losses and give up on our ambitions for real, meaningful political reform. no way. this country deserves better than the tawdry westminster politics we get from labour and the tories, and i am going to keep hammering away at the system every single day, because bit by bit that system will break to let the people in. [applause]

and if power is still hoarded at the center, the ability for people to liberate themselves from the circumstances of their birth is still denied to too many people. i have fought tirelessly to instill opportunity in the earliest years of a child's life. did you know michael gove raided the budget for much needed school places in order to fund his free school obsession? did you see the frenzied bile from the tory right against our plan to give young children at primary school a healthy meal at lunchtime? a have you ever heard the dated snobbery from some conservatives against the value of vocational qualifications and good quality careers advice? of all the faultlines which have opened up in this coalition government, the one that has been most revealing is the way in which self-proclaimed conservative educational

reformers sought to suffocate almost every single initiative designed to instill opportunity at an early age, for all children, not just some. a world class education system is one that releases the potential in all children, not just some. my mother worked as a teacher for children with dyslexia when myself, my brothers and sister were growing up. those days it wasn't as readily recognized that very bright children can be hampered by learning difficulties which may obscure their talents, but don't make them any less bright. those days countless children were discarded by the education system because children were not treated as individuals, they were expected to conform to the rigors of the classroom or be left behind. and my mother drummed into us what seems so obvious today. that you don't write anyone off. you don't overlook anyone's talents.

given half a chance, everyone can shine. for me, that is what our new commitment to expanding childcare to all two, three and four year olds is all about. that is what our new commitment to healthy lunches for all primary school children is all about. that is what our new commitment to helping with the travel costs faced by all college students is all about. that is what our new commitment to a qualified teacher in every classroom is all about. that is what protecting funding from cradle to college, even as we clear the deficit, is all about. education. opportunity. that is what the liberal democrats are all about. [applause] almost exactly thirteen years ago phil willis and myself

visited a number of schools in denmark, holland and sweden. the idea of the pupil premium was born. today it funds breakfast clubs; homework clubs; it helps involve parents who are otherwise disengaged. it gives teachers the time to focus on children, one on one. and the many wonderful, wonderful teachers i meet across the country, working in the noblest profession of all, tell me the ability to do that is priceless in unlocking the talents of every child. the thrill i get every time i hear from a teacher about how great they think the pupil premium is never diminishes, and it reminds me that in politics being clear about what you want and then doggedly, stubbornly working away until you make it happen is what really counts. we are the party of education and we always will be, because it is the driver of opportunity. because if you want to spread

opportunity you can't just stop at today. you have to think about tomorrow too. [applause] and for that same reason, our next manifesto will contain something i can guarantee you none of the others will. a commitment to five green laws. laws that will commit british governments to reducing carbon from our electricity sector, create new, legal targets for clean air and water. give everyone access to green space. massively boost energy efficiency and renewable energy. prioritize the shift to green cars. bring an end to dirty coal. because liberal democrats understand that opportunity for everyone means thinking not just of this generation, but of future generations too.

[applause] there are two other big commitments i want to single out today. for me, they epitomize the way in which we are striving to spread opportunity wherever we can. and while i'm not going to get dragged into endless speculation about this or that red line in the event of another hung parliament, people do have a right to know what our priorities are. forget talk of deals, let's just dwell on our values. this isn't about tactics in a negotiation, this is about what our values are and where we want to take the country. so the next priority i want to highlight is tax. raising the point at which you start paying income tax to 12,500 pounds. i know that some people think i bang on too much about our success in raising the personal allowance from where we found

it, just under 6,500 to 10,500 pounds. but i don't think we bang on about it enough. [applause] it is, in my view, quite remarkable that a party experiencing it's first stint in government, which only has 9% of the mps in westminster, should have succeeded in driving through the biggest and fairest transformation of our income tax system in a generation. if that isn't something to bang on about, loud and proud, i really don't know what is. [applause] over 3 million people on low pay taken out of paying any tax at all. an 800 pound tax cut for over 24 million people. and with our new policy of an even higher allowance, nearly a million more people will pay no income tax, and 30 million people will be an additional 400 pounds better off. labour would never have made

this change because it's all about liberating people through their own hard work rather than making them more dependent on an overweening state. the conservatives couldn't have been more explicit that it wasn't their priority during ou a budget negotiations where, year after year, it was frequently referred to as your tax cut, nick. apparently it's our tax cut in private, but it's their tax cut in public. [applause] in 2012, i'll never forget this danny and i said, let's go further and faster to cut people's income tax. it's possible now, so why wait? george osborne turned to me and said, i don't want to deliver a liberal democrat budget. he insisted instead on the tory bit of the budget, a cut to the top rate of tax.

i can't think of a better, simpler illustration of what sets the two coalition parties apart. tories insisting on tax cuts for the few. lib dems insisting on tax cuts for the many. [applause] and when they say now that they've signed up to our plan to raise the personal allowance to 12,500 pounds, just scratch beneath the surface. they're giving a tax cut worth four times as much to the highest earners. and who pays for their income tax cut? you do. it's no secret. the conservatives told you last week what they want to do. everything they promise will be paid for by cutting the support

to the working age poor and cutting further and faster the money which goes to our schools, our police, our social care homes and other unprotected services. we, by contrast, have set out how we'll fairly fund the first step of raising the personal allowance to 11,000 pounds in the first year of the next parliament. so the choice is clear. unfunded, unfair tory tax cuts or lib dem tax cuts which are funded and fair. the difference is that they want to cut taxes for the wealthiest, paid for by the working age poor. we want to cut taxes for working people, paid for by the wealthiest. [applause] and then there's one more policy. one i care about passionately.

mental health. the second class status given to mental health in the nhs was the subject of the first question i ever asked at prime ministers questions. i have campaigned to end the cinderella treatment of mental health services ever since because it threatens the opportunities available to hundreds and thousands of our fellow citizens. anxiety, panic attacks, depression, anorexia, bulimia, self-harm, bi-polar disorder these and many other mental health conditions are one of the last remaining taboos in our society, and yet they will affect one in four people. much progress has been made people now speak out in the way they never did before. we have put mental health on the same legal footing in the nhs as physical health. we're massively expanding talking therapies and transforming the help children can get as they move into adulthood, but there's still a long, long way to go.

i want this to be a country where a young dad chatting at the school gates will feel as comfortable discussing anxiety or depression as the mum who's explaining how she sprained her ankle. there are many brave campaigners who have been leading the way not least our very own paul burstow and norman lamb who deserve medals for all the tireless work they have done in government. [applause] earlier this year i visited a group of young mental health service users to talk about their experiences of the care they received. they sat round in a circle, away from the television cameras, these brave, articulate young men and women, and with astonishing honesty and candor they told me, a complete

stranger, all about the things they had been through. the despair, the shame, the bullying, the parents and siblings who didn't know how to cope with them. and for some of them, the very darkest thoughts imaginable, including attempts to take their own lives. and i heard about their recoveries too, their resolve, with the right treatment their determination, some of them just teenagers, to deal with their issues and live full and happy lives. if they can speak out to me, i can speak up for them. [applause] this morning i announced that next year, for the first time ever, we will introduce national waiting times for patients with mental health conditions. [applause]

labour introduced waiting times in physical health, we will do the same for the many people struggling with conditions that you often can't see, that we often don't talk about, but which are just as serious. so if you are waiting for talking therapies to help with your depression, you will be seen within six weeks, 18 weeks at an absolute maximum, just as if you are waiting for an operation on your hip. if you are a young person experiencing psychosis for the first time, you will be seen within 2 weeks, something we are going to roll out across the country, just as if you suspect you have cancer. if you are having a breakdown, if you are thinking of harming yourself, for any emergency which takes you to a&e, you'll get the help you need, just as if you had gone to hospital with chest pains or following an accident. these are big, big changes. and in government again the liberal democrats will commit to completing this overhaul of our mental health services, ending

the discrimination against mental health for good. and while i know not everyone in the party is going to agree, i can tell you now. i want this smack bang on the front page of our next manifesto. [applause] one of a small number of top priorities. this is a great liberal cause. let's be the first political party to give mental health the status it deserves. for the countless people who are suffering alone, who are failing to get the treatment they need on time and in the right way, who are being denied the chance to get on in their lives. for the families who are being strained to breaking point. for a britain that is compassionate, open and leads

the way. [applause] and to make sure this and all other care is properly funded, this week we have set out how we'll pay for the rising costs of our treasured nhs. everyone now accepts it needs more money. and it's a good thing that all of the parties have chosen to talk about this at their conferences. but it's still the case that only one party has spelled out a credible plan to pay for it. not only will the liberal democrats protect the nhs budget in real terms, we will raise an extra 1 billion pounds for it every year, by ending three different tax breaks which benefit the highest earners, including scrapping george osborne's ludicrous shares for rights gimmick. and, once we have finished the job on the deficit and public spending is rising, we are committing ourselves to ensuring

nhs spending rises too. words in speeches are all well and good. we all love our nhs. but what it needs is money, and that's what the liberal democrats will guarantee. [applause] friends, between now and the election our opponents will do everything they can to do us down, and we'll give as good as we get. and that's ok in the rough and tumble of politics. but what isn't ok is our motives being caricatured. not me, not you, not our party, not our reasons for wanting to govern again. and we mustn't allow coalition to be caricatured either.

this coalition government has provided the country with the political stability without which the economic recovery and hundreds of thousands of new jobs would never have materialized. i often hear the conservatives claim that the economic recovery is george osborne's recovery. pretty rich coming from a treasury where the person responsible for the really tough job of repairing the damage to our public finances is a liberal democrat. [applause] and people know the truth. after the 2010 election, the conservatives could not have formed a government and secured this economic recovery without the liberal democrats. ..

>> it cuts away at the services

everyone needs. you might have forgotten what you did to our economy, but we have not and the british people don't want a labor government running their country, wracking up debt for our children and grandchildren to pay. [applause] >> dave cameron, you can copy our ideas but you will never imitate our values and the british people don't want a conservative government running their country which only looks after its own kind. [applause] >> it is less than -- for us to work our hearts out each and every day to give the people a stronger economy and fairer society. we will do everything we can to make sure you and your family

have the opportunities to get in we can defeat the politics of blame, grievance and fear. and we have several short months to show people there is still a party that speaks for the british values they hold. so let our opponents say what they want. after setback and bruises we will go to the country and our heads why and builds on everything we have achieved. we have the only party holding firm the decent values. the only party refusing to trade because we believe the british people want desperately from their politics is hope. the only party who is economically competent.

a party of heads and hearts and compation -- compassion and -- and resolve. the only party that says wherever you are from we will do whatever we can to help you shine. thank you. [applause]

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

coming up this morning, the united nations general assembly meeting to hear from the head of the u.n.ebola emergency response mission. live coverage at 11:00 a.m. eastern here on cspan2. last week the australian government approvered air combat missions to fight isis and tony abbott spoke to the people for 30 minutes. this 30 minute program is courtesy of australia's public affairs channel. ♪ ♪ >> hello, i am here with highlights of the latest sitting australia's parliament. one of the biggest problems we

have faced is the problem with the indigenous people and tony abbott spent time as prime minister staying with an indigenous community. he spent a week governing from the location. >> will the president update us on the visit and how is the government keeping in contact with indigenous australians? >> i acknowledge the question and it was a great honor in our country's history as the first indigenous member of the house of representatives. madam speaker, as many people record during last year's election campaign i promised to

spend a week in an indigenous community and i kept that commitment last week along with my parliament and members. we spent five working days in different areas and we were joined different times in that period by the minister for education, the minister for health, minister for finance and veterans affairs and the assistant minister of health and infrastructure and the relevant parties were there, too. for the fifth part of the week, indigenous affairs was a key focus of government. this is a very good way of d demonstrating to indigenous

people that their concerns have not been lost amongst those of the general community. the government's priority is crystal clear: getting the kids to school, adults to work, and keep the communities safe. and madam speaker i wish to acknowledge the commitment of the people to education, and i wish to acknowledge their determination their land is an economic asset as well as a cultural and spiritual one. and i acknowledge their yearning along with the yearning of others for indigenous recognition in our constitution. this is a fully bipartisan cause and i thank the leader of the opposition for the con

instructive dialogue we have had it on this. i thank one of our country's greatest indigenous leader. i am the 7th prime minister he has dealt with. i acknowledge the good will of my predecessors and promise to build on their good work. i should thank the army for providing me and my caolleaguco with the accommodations. i pledge to continue to spend a week a year in an indigenous community as long as i remain in public light. >> australia is grappling with how to tackle the islamic state movement in syria and iraq. they have offered to join the us-led coalition. they sent about 200 special forces and an air force super

capability and six super hornets and a refueler to join the coalition. >> today the cabinet authorized australian airstrikes in iraq at the request of the iraqi government in support of the iraqi government. also, subject to final legal documentation, the cabinet has authorized the deployment of australian special forces into iraq to advise and assist iraqi forces. it is an essentially humanitarian issue to protect the people of iraq and ultimately the people of australia from the rage of the isil death count. isil must be disrupted and degraded. isil must be disrupted and degraded at home and abroad so

it is absolutely in australia's national interest that this mission go ahead. >> thank you, madam speaker. my question is to the prime minister. will the prime minister inform the house of the importance of the visit to new york to visit with the united nations council? >> thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker, later this week i will be in new york for discussions at the united nations security council on the issue of foreign fighters. the meeting in question has been convened by president obama who is to make there is now some 15,000 foreign fighters operating with terrorist groups in syria and iraq. as i previously told the house, there are at least 60 australians that we know of that

are currently fighting with terrorist groups in syria and iraq with groups such as isil. there at least a hundred we know of supporting groups such as isil. more than 20 australians are estimated from having returned from fighting with groups such as isil. and madam speaker, more than 60 australians have had their passport canceled on security advise to prevent them from travelling to the middle east to join terrorist groups like isil. i want to make it crystal clear that fighting with a terrorist group is a serious crime under australian law. so the point i make to people is that if you fight with the terrorist group, if you seek to return to this country as far as this government is concerned, you will be arrested, you will be prosecuted, and you will be jailed for a very long time

indeed. and madam speaker, legislation is before this parliament this week to make it easier to deal with this problem of returning foreign fighters. and madam speaker again i want to thank the leaders of the opposition and the attorney general for the constructive support. madam speaker, this is a global problem. there are many hundreds of british citizens fighting in the middle east and french residents and people from southeast asia who are fighting with the terrorist groups in the middle east. they have been radicalized and brutalized and could become potential terrorist in their home towns. this needs to be tackled and

that is why australia is ready to join an international coalition to disrupt and degrade sil's operation inside iraq and remove this magnet from around the world. this government will do whatever we humanly can to keep australia safe. everything we do at home and abroad is directed against terr terrorism and not religion. i advise you to go on your life because the whole idea of terror ism is to prevent us from being ourselv ourselves. >> my question is about foreign affairs. will you update the house on what you are doing to combat isil in iraq and syria. >> thank you, madam speaker. and thank you for this very

important question. the actions of isil are unprecedented in every category. it is killing civilians and committing atrocities, executions, beheadings, rape, tortures -- it is unspeakable violence and highlighted the need for urgent response. over 60 nations have made a contribution to or showed support to combat isil in ire and syria. -- iraq -- the prime minister said he are committed to supporting our country and not a single politician in north america, europe, africa or asia can afford to ignore events in the middle east. a globalized threat requires a

global response. there have been almost 300 airstrikes since starting in august. these airstrikes are denying isil a safe haven and nations are making key contributions. the arab nations saudi arabia, jordan, qutar all participated. france and the united kingdom and denmark and belgium. these military actions have been supplemented with military equipment and training of iraqi forces. germ canada has delivered military supplies to iraq and deployed

their arm forces for military training. italy, hungary, the neltherland and more have contributed equipment recognizing the strong coalition that is needed to address isil and other organizations. so the international communities are working together to stop the flow of foreign fighters. efforts have been directed at seeking to help the unfolding humanitarian disaster. many counties have all contributed significant packages of assistance including australia. the great throat posed by isis means action is essential and we are uniting to combat the

terrorist threat in iraq and syria. australia will play its part. >> there are an estimated 60 australians fighting in isil and some are returned home and they are taking that terror threat seriously. the terror threat level has risen to high and new anti-terror laws have been introduced and more and planned >> my question is to the minister of the duchess. will you update the house on the government's action to give federal law enforcement and security agencies the tools they need to combat the terrorist risks? >> i call the minister of justice. >> thank you, madam speaker and

thank you for that question and i commend the work you do in this house. the government as members are aware is making a significant investment in counter terrorism. announcing $630 million as a response package and today the attorney general announced that $196 million of this will be for extra resourcing. further to responding the government is giving out the legislative frameworks and powers they need to do their job of keeping us safe. we saw earlier today the first branch of the legislation passed through the house. this bill modernizes and improves legislation governing the activities of the community.

this has been through two bipartisan reviews by the joint community on intelligence and security. they recommended 16 changes and the government accepted every single one of the recommendation and i commend the member for the work he did in chairing that committee and i commend the work of the man who previously chaired that committee before the government change. i appreciate that not all members support the passing of this legislation. and clearly in a democracy they are entitled to express their views. but what is not acceptable, madam speaker, is to engage in conspiracy theories that the lower enforcement and intelligence agencies are working with the government about the timing of the operations. this is untrue and unhelpful at

a time when everyone should remember their comments are reported to the australian community and we should stand together with the law enforcement and the work they do to continue to keep us safe. i had the privilege of joining with the prime minister to announce that we have a new police commissioner. he is a man of enormous integrity and good judgment and the country will be well severed by him serving in that administration during a troubleling time. it passed through the house, not withstanding that every member of the house supported this, and the appointment of the commissioner of australian police are measures that we will continue to keep our country and community safe.

>> i call on member reed. >> thank you. my question is to the minister of the immigration and border protection. will the administer outline how the government is working with australia's diverse communities to ensure the security of all australians and how they take all sections so important. >> i call the administer for immigration and border protection. >> thank you, madam speaker and thank you for question and thank you for your leadership you are showing and assisting your voters who are dealing with technical issues at the prison and he is providing that leadership. there are many engagements being undertaken by the government to engage with communities and measures being introduced by formal and informal nature. i referred in the house that the

engagement has been undertaken by the border service and my own department and the attorney general and minister of the justice and law enforcement agencies are doing all of these things. it is about creating an open dialogue and adding to understanding. it isn't a transactional discussion which is seeking to have people sign up. it is about creating the space for communities to work together with government and with their own communities directly to ensure we can move forward at this difficult time. this is important that what is more important is the community leadership that is required, not just from this place, not just from the government, not just from those who sit in this place, but communities right across the country. from all ebackgrounds and faith

and leadership from the media to make sure we focus on what is uniting us and the values we share and not seeking to amplify the divisions that may exist at ne particular time. i want to acknowledge and confirm the strong leadership that has been provided by the well-known members on both sides of the house. they are brave and standing up as passionate australians. i had the opportunity to join them at a community bbq which was proclaiming their passion for this wonderful nation and person after person came up to me from young children to older people to mothers and others just expressing their passion for this country and the support for having a cohesive society at

this time and people like jamal and they have advocated those things and that takes enormous courage to stand up to that and sacrifice. we need to affirm these leaders and people across the country in the media from other religions and communities. we need it stand with them. >> on the economic front of australia's focus is the g-20 summit being held in australia in brisbine. the finance members have been holding their meetings over the weeks and the australian chair laid out what australia wants to

see and that is a boost of both of 2% above business as usual. >> madam speaker, my question is to the treasurer. will the treasurer outline the outcomes of the g-20 finance minister's meeting for the nation's finances and how will action taken by the countries ensure they are taking care of their tax. >> thank you for your question and i recognize she has had a lot of experience involved in treasurery over the years. and in the modern tax system and digital world it is unfortunately easy for some companies to establish their taxable income liability in other jurisdications, particularly smaller ones, and

because of the mobility of capital, even if australia took action by itself we would not be able to prevent major corporations minimizing the tax liability in australia. so we have a multi-pronged attack. the starting point is arising from the g-20, it is hugely important that the globe take action, including a number of small islands which have been known as tax haven for a long period of time. there is a result in the g-20 under the presidency of australia to reformat the global system. and as the commissioner said in a press conference he said as a result of what we have done and i quote he said this is resetting the tax rules in the way the country will operate over the next 50-100 years.

we know the modern taxation laws were first developed after world war one by the league of nations. so there hasn't been reform for a long time. so we have a multi-prong approach. first we will implement whatever measures we can to ensure the companies that earn profits here pay taxes here and that is important as a starting principle. secondally, we want to ensure that wherever people open bank accounts that information is shared with the australian offices. so if they open banks around the world, there is a common reporting standard to be applied and australian institutions and even though big banks are able to move, smaller ones are unable but from the first of january of 2017 that will apply here.

thirdly, we are focused on a 15-point erosion plan delivered and forced out. we are implementing an inspector without orders policy. finally i will say quoting the head of the ledc he said had it not been for the serious political support we have gotten from the g20 presidency of australia we will not have gotten here. we want to keep the taxes cheap and -- we want to catch the tax cheats and we will do whatever we can to catch them. >> ebola has been on the finds of many people over the weeks. there are no cases here, but there is pressure for the australian's government to do more. they have sent out aid but not yet sent a team to africa. >> thank you, madam speaker.

my question is to the minister of foreign affairs. australia cosponsored a bill calling on all nations to facilitate the delivering of goods, including supplies and people, in the ebola outbreak. when will the government let people willing and able to go help out in africa? >> i call the minister of foreign affairs >> i thank the deputy leader of opposition for her questions. australia has taken action by providing $8 million in addition to $40 million we provided for the world health organization for its global work. as i said publically the best contribution we can make at the time is providing funds to frontline organizations which we have done.

we have taken very specific advise i need to point out. military and health experts have advised us that evacuating a patient with ebola is complex. if australia had the appropriate aircraft to evacuate an ebola patient, which we don't, the flying time is 30 minutes from west africa -- would you please let me finish -- is dangerous. the ideal time is under ten hours. so a flight time of 30 hours to evacuate back to australia is -- >> silence so we can hear the answer. >> -- completely unsafe. we are working to see if we could use another organizations airplane to evacuate the workers to somewhere closer than

australia. there are few aircrafts in the world capable of providing support for the patient with ebola. those very few air crafts are being used by the united states and countries in europe. we have asked and are working with the country to see if australian aid workers could be evacuated on those planes and those negotiations are underway. along with that, let me point out what is required to get back to australia or to anywhere. they have to confirm the patient should be evacuated and that is not the case in every institute. planning land transfer and securing air craft noting there

are very few available to transport a patient with active ebola. negotiating with a treatment facility closer than australia because flying time must be kept to a minimum. obtaining approval from every country along the air route. this is why the president setup a committee with the department of defense, foreign and trade and security because every step has to be achieved otherwise there is no way for evacuation. the australian government will not put citizens at risk without an evacuation plan >> that is all from here this time. we will see you next time. ♪ >> we have been showing you the

floor of the un general assembly. they are holding a discussion on the ebola outbreak. the coordinate for ebola and funding was approved totaling nearly $50 million for the ebola response from the united nations. this meeting should get underway shortly. >> it may be a couple minutes before this gets underway so while we wait we will go to the washington journal this morning.

>> host: the director for national and global health is here with us. what do you do at georgetown first of all? >> guest: i run the institute that looks at the national and global health law at the law school. i am a university professor and the director of the who center on public health law and human rights. >> host: what is the world health organization and what is its mission? >> the crisis coming from the ebola virus outbreak. as noted in my notebook of october 14th i have invited a special envoy of the secretary general on ebola and special representative and head of the united nation mission for ebola

response to brief the membership on this pressing matter. i take this opportunity to warmly welcome the deputy of secretary general, the chief of government from the civil trade general, and our distinguished invi invited to this media. anthony is joining us through a video conference. the resolution 9/1 on september 2014, the general assembly welcomed the secretary general to establish the united nations mission for ebola emergency response and court appointed members of the united nations and the united nations system provided their full support to

the mission. the accident is from the secretary general who looked at this. ladies and gentlemen, i will gather this morning for a briefing on the ebola outbreak and the global epidemic. let me begin by thanking the deputy secretary of general for joining us today. also a special thanks to dr. david nabarro, secretary envoy, and the special agent for ebola who will be briefing the assembly on the latest crises.

as you recall in the first meeting of this session, exactly three week s ago, we looked at resolution and it was the secretary general's initiative to establish the mission for ebola emergency response. the solution said the united nations entities to provide full support. yesterday the assembly approved the funding required. and yesterday, global government leaders met in washington, d.c. to discuss the critical issues, needs and possible solutions for addressing the health and economic impacts of the crisis. that meeting underscored the

potential consequences if the outbreak is not quickly contained. as you well know the situation on the ground remains extremly precarious. the humanitarian workers are doing amazing work but despite their efforts the epidemic continues to ravage the opportunities with the death toll rising with each passing day. in light of spread of the disease, we are concerned that the outbreak evolved from a regional crisis as we have witnessed it in today's world. ebola can be at your door step. i am pleased to see the

community has wasted no time to answer to the call of action. many countries have come forward with support in terms of financial and in-person contributions. furthermore, teams have been deployed to the mission in ghana. in this situation where each day potentially means lives lost the rapid response supports the implementation of containment measures and support. yet, when the initial response from the international community is commendable, much more needs to be done to stem this public health crisis. in this context, i urge you to follow through on your

commitment and pledges of support and the crises requires action on international communities. your pledges of support are a vital part of the global response. i have proposals on how the global community can support the community with financial, humanitarian and other requirements. the international community must work together to come up with a practical solution to contain the further spread of ebola. in this regard, i urge people to share proposals on how to improve or streamline response efforts. even for those members who have already made contributions more

is needed. i thank you for your kind notations. i now give the floor to the secretary general of the united nations. >> mr. president, ladies and gentlemen, first of all i want to thank you, president of the general assembly for creating this crucially important and timely meeting which i have the honor to represent the secretary of general while he is on travel. let's say from very beginning our response to the ebola epidemic must be swift and effective to mask the scale and emergency of the challenge. now is the time for action. we must catch up for the curve

of the virus. the crisis is multi dimensional with serious affects not only on public health but food security, economic and social and political stability. hard one development progress is in jeopardy. neighbors are at risk. none of us are insulated from this threat poised by ebola. it is a global concern and demands a global response in compassion and solidarity with those affected. that is why we formed the global ebola response action to galvanize reaction to emergency response and coordinate action on the ground. the secretary general and i thank the general assembly and also the security council and member states for decisive and generous support for these

initiatives. this morning i presided over the first meeting of the global air response coalition. we noted a wide range of actions and commitments for the epidemic and discussed how we can most affectively capitalize action. let us be clear. why the un stepped up to play a coordinateing role we cannot do the work alone. no country, no organization can. this crisis requires collective mobilization as the president just stated. here i would like to play tribute to the courageous aid workers who have gone since march. many international health workers have lost their lives and the red cross workers are

selflessly risking their life and many colleagues from u.n.agencies. defeating ebola is going to take the best minds working. international, and non-government organizations, and many others. we must work to support the countries to implement their response strategy to ebola. we are deploying people and assets and working with unprecedented collaboration and speed. we are guided by five simple commands. one, stop transmission. two, treat those with ebola. three, ensure essential services. four, preserve stability. and five, prevent further spread. the peace keeping mission in liberia and other countries have

been providing critical assistance for many months and continue to partner with the unified framework provided. on the 29th of september an advance team arrived and they just finished a week long ass s assessment visit to the three most affected countries to assess how we can best implement programs without duplicating them. the president is in regular contact with the president's of the three most infected countries. we remain engaged in efforts to forge strategic partnerships to achieve to massive scale of resources that are so urgently needed. there are now over 18 newly

deployed missionary members with more on the way but many more staff is need deneeded specialle district states. a contribution within days is more important than one within weeks. recent cases of the virus outside of the region is showing this is a global crisis. the answer isn't to propose travel bans. that will isolate the countries not the disease and prevent urgent aid from reaching those in need. we need international solidarity in the face of threat. the secretary and i are grateful for the contributions flowing

in. over $20 million has been raised in the last week but we need more. of the $1 billion needed only one quarter has been funded. we need a surge in trained health care personal that can o deploy to community states. we need med vack available to health care and provide the necessa necessa necessary things for surgeons to be deployed. and we need dedicated facilities for the people who continue to work at great risk. and we must achieve quality care for all citizens in the affected countries. we should always recall that with the crisis in the health sectors in these three countries there are so many people who are

not getting normal medical help. the hospitals are overburdened and people are worried to even go to the hospital. you can imagine imagine the number of people dying from other diseases we would normally treat. that is not part of our statistics yet. we must work to stregthen the health sector and make sure they have food security and stronger regional preparedness. in closing, ebola is an unforgiving and frightening disease but it can be defeated if we work together in solidarity with affective coordination. every hour counts. every contribution counts. the people of the world are watching. the people of west africa, now to a great deal, depend on us and the international ownership

is crucial. let's give them hope. let us be at their side. and let us end this crises swiftly and decisively. i thank you, mr. president. >> i call david nabarro special enjoy secretary general on ebola. >> mr. president of the general assembly, mr. deputy secretary general, ladies and gentlemen, first of all, i would like to acknowledge the really important role of this global body in

focusing attention on and leading the support on the response for the current outbreak of ebola. i would like to cover six points in my remarks. i would like to talk about the history of the outbreak, i would like to focus on its significance, i would like to reflect on some of the actions being undertaken now to scale up the response, i would like focus on the different partnerships being build, the leadership of different bodies in particular the president's of the countries and the coalition that is being referred to in the deputy secretary general's remarks. i will be followed by anthony who will give a more specific

presentation on the work for the ebola outbreak response. let me start with history a little bit. i worked as a public health doctor for 35 years. and i have been involved in many disease outbreaks and indeed some pandemics. but i have never encountered a challenge like this one in my professional life. the reason is this outbreak as moved out of rural areas and come to towns and cities. it is no longer just affecting a very defined location. it is affecting a whole region and now impacting on the whole

world. and this outbreak is advancing rapidly ahead of the control effort and the rest of us have having to work really hard to catch up and overtake it. but we know what has to be done. and together we are going to do it and our commitment to all of you is to achieve it within a matter of months. a few months. rather than going slow and letting the outbreak cause a lot more harm and misery. so my second point is about the significance of the outbreak. it has gotten into society's in west africa in a very deep and

worrisome way. for many communities currently affected, the day a person dies is the most important day of that person's life. that is the day when the spirit's move from the person into friends, relatives and the community. the day of death must be treated with proper respect and ritual otherwise it undermines the very fabric of society. yet people who are dying of ebola are very dangerous and if they are touched and if they are held at that moment of death they can infect large numbers of other people because their bodies are toxic. their bodies contain the virus. it is often on the surface of

their bodies. so unfortunately the time of death has proved to be a time when the virus tends to spread very widely. and in order to get control over the virus people are having to change the ways in which they handle illness and handle death and to move away from traditions that are centuries old. this has been a major difficulty for many of the societies that are affected. it is really only in the last few weeks thanks to the courage of the leaders of the country's concern that there has been a much greater emphasis on people coming to terms with and owning the disease and changing their behaviors so that they are less likely to spread the disease.

another funthing happening is w people get the disease and run to people they think can them. traditional healers, centers of faiths, or friends and relatives even. and that in turn leads to the movement of sickness and disease into the new communities and change of transmission and that has let to the wide spread spreading of the disease and the virus. third point, how then do we respond as the disease spreads? we have to recognize it is spreading rapidly and probably doubleling in numbers every 3-4 weeks and that means a huge

facility for people with the disease, a great increase in community centers, a lot of work with societies to help them respond to the disease and others to help get prepared. a massive social mobilization on an enormous scale. not just in the most affected countries and in neighbors countries and indeed throughout the world. this going to scale so everybody compo knows about the disease knows how to prevent it, knows where treatment is available, involves thousands of health workers around the world, thousands of community mobilizers and hundreds of people to help con construct centers and make sure they are

started. the scale is 20% greater than it was at the beginning of the month and it involves every country in the world, certainly every donor agency in the world, many non-governmental organizations all working in support of the president and people of the affected countries because without that mass mobilization and the global movement it will be impossible to get this disease quickly under control and the world will have to live with the ebola virus forever. and that is why your leadership and the leadership of the security council, the leadership of the president, the leadership of the chair of the african union, and i would like to particular single out the decisive role played by the secretary general of the united nations in recent weeks gives me

some hope that we now have the mechanisms to bring together all of the different partners to scale up action and to achieve results rapidly. we will continue to need and request resources from all of you. doctors and nurses coming in as teams to help staff treatment centers. airplanes and helicopters and vehicles and motor bikes to provide transportation necessary for the systems that go deep in the villages and the townshipsf oof the affected countries and to provide expertise in neighboring countries. and we will continue to ask for cash because this is an ex pensive job requiring contracts and arrangements that have to be

setup now. and that is why we are super grateful to everybody contributing to the trust fund. the last point about the coalition. as far as finding its waw through defenses if there are wholes in the defenses especially. it can find its way into the bodies of people and it can find its way from village to village and town to town if people are frightened and not provided with proper care. and that is why we are seeking to encourage all who are responding to come together in a coalition that will be facilitated by the unit de nation and the deputy second general will chair it and that will help us working together know what we are doing and

keeping each other informed. this is the most extraordinary challenge the world could face. sometimes you see films about this and wonder how can such a thing happen. this is more extreme than any film i have seen. this is a real challenge to all of us that is going to require every piece of collective action that we can mount to work to respond to it because the enemy in this case it is a virus, a tiny microscopic thing that is invisible to our eyes, and many of us don't understand it. so we have to be prepared to respond to whatever it brings to us. and i thank you for making this possible. thank you, sir. >> i thank the special envoy for

his briefing. i gave the floor now to the special representative and led of the national mission to ebola and he is joining us by a video conference. >> mr. president of the general assembly, mr. deputy secretary general, and distinguished delegates, thank you for giving me the opportunity to brief you on the activities of the united nation's mission for ebola emergency response. i am grateful to you, mr. president, for your leadership on the ebola crisis and convening this session and

ensuring the response for fighting ebola is on top of the global agenda. i wish to thank the director general of the world health organization, margaret chan, and all of the agency's fundss and programs for their support in terms of material and personal. since the establishment on the 19th of september, which was welco welco welcomed by the general assembly, it was made clew we need to move -- clear -- swiftly and rapidly. we have been moving swiftly. my colleague detailed his efforts in building a global coalition to respond to this disease. he and i working closely

together. dr. nabarro is leading the effort to garnish the plague. he is focused on operational responses on the ground. following my point by the secretary general, i deployed to the region with the small but growing teams setting up it initiative. i am thankful for ghana for having us. i have visited the most affected countries for three days each. i went on the trip to listen, learn, and identify areas where this can be the most helpful and accelerate the response to the crisis. i met with the president of

liberia, the president of sierra leon and the president of guinea. i met with civil society actors, women's groups, ngo's and there diplomatic community. i had the opportunity to visit two ebola treatment centers. one holding center and a who training center. my first hand impressions were vived and deeply worrying. we saw how brave, tired and dedicated international and international health workers are carrying on under difficult circumstances. over 230 of the health workers have died in liberia alone. we saw people and resources stretched to the limit with more being done with less than can be considered acceptable. we saw families grieving for lost ones and fearing for their own health as well.

we saw patients being turned away from a lack of beds at the facility. we saw a woman lying dead in a street unattended. the human response is to care and empathize and pay respect to the departed. with ebola this type of response can be fatal. to defeat the virus we will have to change behavior. the consequences of this disease are catastrophic. in order to fight it, we shall be guided fie by the following principles: first there top priority is to keep the staff healthy. second, we must support natio l lal efforts and national leadership.

third the work must not duplicate national plans. and the response of the mission must be taylor made to each country and situations. our effort is on bringing this crisis to an end as soon as possible and as soon as the task is completed we will close our doors. we must focus on prevention and preparedness in other countries and preventing transmission two and other countries is a critical component of the mags. collectively we -- mission -- standoff the spread to other countries and make sure countries are able to rapidly detect, control and eliminate the virus if it is introduced. we should work with the african union, the man of river union and the west african state

leaderships. i had the honor of meeting with the head of the outbreak of the african union and i commend their deployment of health workers to fight the disease and i hope others will follow their lead. mr. president, allow me to present some of the findings and conclusions at the initial stage of the mission deployment. the crisis caused by the outbreak of ebola is severe and unprecedented. the world has never seen anything like it. time is our enemy. the virus is far ahead of us and every day, every day the situation worse. almost 3,900 people in seven countries have died. but there ebola epidemic isn't just a health crisis. it is a complex multidimensional crisis in two main ways.

first, it is having a broad impact on the societies where there is an outbreak, it kills people, destroys health systems, harms economies, disrupts education systems, food security and livelihoods. the three most impacted countries are showing the highest economic growth rates in the entire world and now the growth rates may be cut in half by end of the year. it will require intense sectors, not just health, but logistics and social issues as well. there are issues surrounding the

disease like a crisis for burying the dead. many resist changing the practices. science can help in this area, but it is not sufficient. we must under different cultural values and find solutions that protect people from infection but will be accepted by the affected communities, families and individuals. in my short time in the region it is clear that the greatest need is comrehensive crisis management. much good work has been done since march by national governments, united nation's agencies, ngo's but it has been a patchwork of good work. the crisis needs to be managed like the multidementional crisis it is. not just as a health crisis.

the challenge is huge. the work started only two weeks ago and we are late but it is not too late to still fight and win this battle. we have deployed to four countries. staff, vehicles, planes, helicopters, and communication capabilities. we are moving resources to where they are needed the most with strong support from un agencies. we shall support national leadership and national ownership. we shall play the role of crisis manager and not just cordinator. we will work to make sure there is a plan to stop ebola in each country. each li each line of action will be assigned to an organization with clear

timelines and accountability. we shall fill gaps and support that which needs back stopping but we shall not be the only player in fighting the fight. everyone must play their part. we shall work with a wide range of partners. anyone who can make a contribution to ending the crisis. the crisis is unprecedented and requires an unprecedented, creative, rapid response to bring it to a close. our priority shall be to accelerate action. to achieve results fast, we must have your and the world's support. in particular, first the highest priorities are ebola treatment centers with skilled managers and medical personal. second, we need diagnosttic --

diagnosic -- laboratories and it cannot be that people are willing to contribute but are unable because of financial resources. we need to be able to treat and evacuate if necessary aid personal working on the crisis. the crisis faced by the county shouldn't be compounded by the airlines. we should isolate the virus not the country. let me take this opportunity to thank the general assembly for its rapid approval of the budget until the end of the year when this crisis is over, we will close. but the united nations funding programs will have much more work to do to support the

countries recover from the crises and help them build up so they never fall victim to this disaster again. we need to incorporate early recovery and long-term needs into our efforts at the beginning. mr. president, the ebola crisis is an emergency of profound consequences and grave risk. there is no other way to describe it. like special envoy nabarro mentioned, in my career, not as long as his, but a long one facing many crisis, i have never seen such a terrible, difficult challenge. the world must help to people of guinea, sierra leon and liberia. a failure to help now could lead to unpredictable but dire

consequences for the people of the countries and well beyond. as long as there is one case of ebola in any one of these countries no country is safe from the dangers posed by this deadly virus. we are on the ground and committed to doing our job. we are doing it now. but we cannot do this alone. neither can any single country or actor. we need a broad global coalition as the secretary general of the deputy secretary general have called for. the whole world must contribute and each country should contribute what it can. it is only by working together, and fast and inventively that we can end the crisis. we must rise to the occasion and must defeat this disease. thank you. >> i am the special representative of the head of the united nations mission for

ebola emergency response for his briefing -- i thank -- before proceeding further, i would like to welcome any form members that have come here. the social welfare worker of liberia is joining us by a video conference today. i now give the floor to the minister of health and social welfare of liberia. >> thank you, mr. president of the general assembly and the

deputy secretary general, and thank you people. on behalf of my president for organizing this meeting to address ebola. i have listened very carefully to the statements by dr. nabarro and then by anthony. and i have here visiting with me the person who has been appointed by the united nations to help us fight this in the countries. i also have with me my incident management for the ebola incident. let me go back again to say i have listened very carefully to david nabarro and to anthony and what they have said have clearly

described the situation in our country and the need that we have. so i don't need to go over those things again. i do want to say, however, that ebola has taken over liberia and we are trying to build the health system. the ebola is a bump in the road of our health care delivery program. when it is over we don't want to have a big beach at the end of it or behind it. the information seems to say we are coming to get rid of ebola. i want to remind you people, all of us, that ebola is in the health system that should be less stronger when ebola is

over. therefore, when i see people saying we are going to get rid of ebola and then close the door, i am saying to myself no, ebola is over the international community is just beginning to help us to build the health system that hasn't been damaged so badly by ebola. our countries have been devastated, not only the health system but the economic system of our people that were helping us to get funding to do different things in our country and have less. companies have slowed down and some have left the country. so when you finish we will just be beginning to rebuild. i want to thank all of you. the united nations and all of the organizations that are helping us now -- the united

states of america is bringing in more than 3,000 soldiers to build and help us, the west african health organization, the west african union -- all of you. there are many people. all of these people are accelerating the fight we have been trying to do by ourselves and we have very appreciative of this and i want to say thank you but i want to say it to you you are not -- you are helping a weak health system get rid of ebola and when ebola is finished the health system will be stronger. that should be the goal; to leave behind a strong health center. i appreciate david nabarro who

is committed to something like this. i wasn't in the city when you came to liberia so i am seeing you for the first time. i appreciate what you are doing. but please leave behind a strong health care system. don't get rid of ebola and run. thank you. >> thank you. i thank the minister for health and social welfare of liberia. i now give the floor for a presentation from sierra leon. >> thank you very much, mr. resident. president of the u.n.general assembly and excellancey let me thank the president of the general assembly for convening

this session to share information on the west african ebola outbreak. since the first case of the disease in sierra leon, 500 people have lost their lives and most of the infected are women and children. over 2/3rds of those affected belong to the category of 15-50. while we have made some progress in the fight against this cause with your support yet significant challenges still remain. one, we see challenges in identifying kids because of a weak contact system.

two, we face challenges in moving kids from communities to management centers due to l logistic constraints like ambulances. three, we are not in a position to hospitalize all of the infected patients because of bed space. four, our laboratories are too few in numbers and as a result we are not able to deal with the workload. as a result of sitting days in the laboratories, the holding center is now breeding grounds for spreading the epidemic. and families are anxiously waiting for the results might get infected. five, we have not cut up with barrier and one of the most

significant ways of infection. since the containment of the disease rest squarely on our ability to promptly identify and remove from the community all who are infected, addressing both issues is therefore paramount for this fight. it clear that all of the ingredients for a full-blown epidemic until and unless we are in a position to address all of the entities we are far from being out of the woods. this is why this information is particularly welcomed and i welcome on behalf of the president, his government, and people of sierra leon to extend

thanks to the president of the 69th general assembly for this initiati initiative. ebola isn't a disease we brought upon ourselves. the evidence is there for all to see. we have been riddled by world epidemics as one of the fastest growing economics in the world when ebola struck. the situation is still complex, challenging and its continuous support is not only to the head of our nations but also to our social and economic development. we need your help. we needed it yesterday. so please let's not let another day past by. now is a time of fast tracking the commitment into action on

the ground. this is a race to get ahead of this evil virus and make history. for us this is a risk that we must either win or we lose. winning is the only possibility we have. i am hopeful with your support we should win the fight. we are ensuring the survival already and we have to keep ensuring more comes. this can only happen with you. thank you very much. >> i thank you for the presentation. i give the floor to the distinguis distinguished representative of guinea.

>> mr. president, mr. deputy secretary general, ladies and gentlemen, my delegation is grateful to you, mr. president, for the initiative you have taken to organize this meeting which comes from the will of the international community to spare

no efforts in order to find an urgent response to combating the ebola virus. ...