The Secretary-General spoke yesterday with the President of the United States, Barack Obama. They discussed the need to urgently scale up international efforts to combat the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. The Secretary-General informed President Obama that he was planning to convene a high-level event during the General Assembly to highlight the needs and required response from governments, NGOs, the private sector and academic institutions.

The Secretary General welcomed efforts to build a broad coalition to counter the threat posed by the extremists that have occupied large areas of Iraq and Syria. He thanked President Obama for the US' efforts to assist Iraqis in dire need of humanitarian assistance, especially in areas rendered inaccessible by the extremists. He also welcomed President Obama's initiative to chair a Security Council session on foreign terrorist fighters during the General Assembly.

The two leaders discussed the importance of an effective monitoring mechanism for the cease-fire in eastern Ukraine. They also discussed the Secretary-General's upcoming Climate Summit on 23 September.