The recent Ebola outbreak in Western Africa has had serious implications for human security and economic development in the affected countries. The challenges that emerged to assist them in managing and containing the Ebola outbreak raise questions about how to establish structures and institutions to prevent similar future crises; and which contributions security institutions can and should make to managing health crises. How can benefits of security sector involvement in health crises be maximized and disadvantages minimized? What are the structural deficiencies of existing crisis preparedness and response mechanisms? What are the governance challenges at the national and international level, including the role of national security institutions, regional economic and security arrangements, and the UN System?

To debate the overlap in strategic concerns, interests and activities between the health and security sectors and discuss the lessons learned from Ebola and the way forward, the Global Health Programme of the Graduate Institute and the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces invited senior representatives from the health, security and humanitarian sectors as well as distinguished academics and diplomats to a roundtable and public event on 5-6 February 2015, sponsored by the Swiss Armed Forces and Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. Participants included Dr. David Nabarro (UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Ebola), Dr. Keiji Fukuda (WHO Assistant Secretary General for Health Security) and representatives from the African Union, ICRC, MSF and affected and responding countries and agencies.

The discussions highlighted the underlying distrust, misunderstanding of realities and genuine differences that must be reconciled; and clarified that the African response was much more extensive and rapid than is often reported. Participants underscored both strengths and weaknesses of the existing systems (including the International Health Regulations) and structures that needed to respond to Ebola – ranging from in-country public health and health systems, government structures for surveillance, preparedness, early warning and emergency response, policing and border arrangements, NGOs and civil-society/government relationships; to regional bodies including the African Union, ECOWAS and Mano River Union; and to international and global responders including civilian and security assets (e.g. USA, UK, France, China, European Union) and international agencies and groups (WHO, ICRC, MSF, UNMEER). It was clear that in dealing with global challenges like Ebola, a new type of relationship is required between health, humanitarian and security sectors.

Outcomes from the discussions included recognition of the need for research to better understand and draw lessons from the successes and failures of past responses to health crises and for a range of training in preparedness for future health crises; and decisions to take further steps including promoting the inclusion of the issue of security sector engagement in response to health crises within the upcoming G7 meeting and UN debate on Sustainable Development Goals, and to hold a further event later in 2015 to take the matter forward.