New Delhi: The fourth India-Africa Forum Summit (IAFS), which was scheduled to take place in New Delhi from May 28 to 31, has been postponed due to the Ebola outbreak in Africa, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday.
The decision was arrived at after the Indian government and the African Union exchanged views on the evolving health situation in parts of Africa and reaffirmed the importance of continued cooperation in strengthening public health preparedness and response capacities across the continent, including through support to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and relevant national institutions, the MEA stated.
With the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda as a public health emergency of international concern, India reaffirmed its solidarity with the peoples and governments of Africa and also expressed its readiness to contribute to Africa CDC-led efforts to address the situation.
Fresh dates for the Summit and its associated meetings will be finalised through mutual consultations and communicated in due course.
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The IAFS represents the highest institutional platform for dialogue and cooperation between India and African countries.
The first summit was hosted by New Delhi in 2008, followed by IAFS 2 in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) in 2011, and IAFS 3, again in New Delhi, in 2015.
After a long hiatus caused by global events like the COVID-19 pandemic, the fourth edition of IAFS was set to be held in New Delhi next week. However, the Ebola outbreak has come as a deterrent.
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