On 27 September 2015, Luxembourgish steel and mining company ArcelorMittal was awarded a Clinton Global Citizen Award for its rapid and collaborative response to the Ebola crisis in West Africa.
The accolade was bestowed by former US President Bill Clinton on behalf of the Clinton Global Initiative at its Annual Meeting in New York, forming part of the Clinton Global Citizen Awards which recognise visionary leadership in solving current and significant global challenges.
The award commends ArcelorMittal's leadership in responding to the 2014 outbreak of the Ebola virus in West Africa, now considered the most extensive outbreak in the nearly four-decade long history of the disease. The Liberian mining operations of ArcelorMittal were at the centre of the regions most several affected by Ebola, prompting the company to attempt to undertsand the virus and protect its employees whilst retaining 'business as usual'. ArcelorMittal hired experts to advise the company, mobilising specialist medical equipment and implementing a management committee as well as procedures and systems.
"I am very proud of the proactive approach that we took in leading the private sector response to the Ebola outbreak in Liberia, and am delighted this has been recognised with this prestigious award," commented Lakshmi N. Mittal, Chairman and CEO at ArcelorMittal.
After realising that ArcelorMittal's response to the outbreak would benefit from external input, the company founded the Ebola Private Sector Mobilisation Group (EPSMG) as a platform for combatting Ebola through shared knowledge between companies.
This network then grew to include international advocacy for a global response to the Ebola outbreak and the mobilisation of in-country resources to support humanitarian and healthcare first responders. More than 100 companise and almost 50 public bodies and NGOs were involved in EPMSG at its peak, contributing from a wide range of sectors and countries.
"On behalf of ArcelorMittal, it is an honour to be recognised for our role in respnding to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa," said Alan Knight, General Manager of Corporate Responsiblity, who accepted the leadership award from President Clinton. "But of course this award cannot be ours along: it is a testament to the joint work of all Ebola Sector Mobilisation Group members. Together, we unlocked the incredible value of partnership and proved that diverse sectors of society can work together to solve the most complex challenges".
To read Médecins Sans Frontières 2014 report on the Ebola crisis, click here.
