The unfolding Ebola outbreak in Africa is a public health and humanitarian crisis. Yet, once again, the international response is falling dangerously short. This is a failure of global political leadership and national leaders must step up in response. We call on you to release the funds needed and ensure a decisive response, before the crisis spreads further.

There have now been 10,000 cases of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola reported since the World Health Organization first declared a public health emergency of international concern in May 2026. The vast majority have been recorded in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but there are also some cases in Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria and France. 

This is the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak ever recorded. One in two people infected have died. 

We have been here before. The 2014 West African Ebola epidemic exposed the deadly consequences of delayed international action, weak surveillance and health systems, inadequate protection of frontline workers, and failure to build community trust. Twelve years later, these same failures are undermining the DRC response, compounded by slow disbursement of pledged funding and insufficient investment in preparedness between outbreaks. 

We know from COVID-19 that highly contagious and dangerous diseases do not recognise borders or distinguish between nationalities. This is not an African crisis. It is a broader crisis that demands global leadership and financing at scale. The Africa CDC has reported that out of $3 billion pledged by donors, only $1 billion has thus far been disbursed. 

At best this indicates complacency. At worst it reveals that the lives of those in remote and marginalised localities are valued less than those elsewhere. 

Speaking as Elders who have dealt with past pandemics and health crises at the national and global level, we call on G20 leaders to:

• Release the funds that were pledged and are needed urgently. This should include specific funds to protect, pay, and support health workers and community leaders for village-centred responses on the frontline, and funds for humanitarian and early recovery needs. 
• Guarantee fair access to approved vaccines and treatment to priority groups first, to counter mutation risks, particularly in the DRC at the heart of the outbreak. 
• Address the security dimension of the crisis, by pressuring armed groups in the DRC and neighbouring countries with influence to allow safe access for health and humanitarian workers. 

This is not about charity. It is about global health security, learning the right lessons from past pandemics and taking measures now to prevent this outbreak escalating into a global crisis. 

Juan Manuel Santos, former President of Colombia, Nobel Peace Laureate and Chair of The Elders

Graça Machel, Founder of the Graça Machel Trust, Co-founder and Deputy Chair of The Elders  

Gro Harlem Brundtland, former Prime Minister of Norway and former Director-General of the WHO

Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand and former head of the UN Development Programme

Elbegdorj Tsakhia, former President and Prime Minister of Mongolia

Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

Hina Jilani, Advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and co-chair of the Taskforce on Justice

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former President of Liberia and Nobel Peace Laureate

Denis Mukwege, physician and human rights advocate, Nobel Peace Laureate

Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

Ernesto Zedillo, former President of Mexico