UN Chief Appeals for $1.1 Billion to Contain Escalating Ebola Outbreak in DR Congo

Addis Ababa, August 28, 2026 (FMC) — United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appealed for 1.1 billion U.S. dollars in additional funding to strengthen the humanitarian response to the escalating Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), warning that the epidemic is spreading faster and more widely than efforts to contain it.

Guterres said the outbreak represents an extraordinary human tragedy for families and communities, while stressing that the international community has the knowledge, means and resources required to bring the crisis under control. He urged stronger collective action before the outbreak becomes even more deadly, difficult and costly to contain.

The UN chief warned that funding and operational gaps are making the response increasingly difficult and expensive, and said time is critical.

The 1.1-billion-dollar appeal represents the remaining amount required to fully finance the humanitarian response plan, with Guterres cautioning that additional resources will be needed as the response continues.

He also called for greater international attention to the crisis, urging the world to overcome what he described as a “virus of indifference.”

He said the international community still has an opportunity to get ahead of the outbreak and prevent further escalation.

In coordination with the DRC government, the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners, the UN is focusing its response on strengthening community engagement to build trust and counter fear and misinformation; improving surveillance to enable faster identification and isolation of cases; expanding treatment and care capacity; scaling up safe and dignified burial operations; and preventing further transmission.

Guterres described the outbreak as the fastest-spreading Ebola epidemic ever recorded, saying it is expanding faster and wider than the response to contain it.

At the same time, he emphasized that Ebola can be stopped and lives can be saved, urging the international community to urgently mobilize the resources and coordinated action needed to bring the outbreak under control.