“What the Haitian people want most is peace.allowing them to return to school, work in the fields, access basic services like going to the hospital,” said Edem Wosornu, Director of Operations and Advocacy at the UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs, OCHAsay in a joint statement issued on Monday.
Ms. Wosornu visited Haiti with Lucia Elmi, Director of Emergency Operations for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).UNICEF), and Andrea Koulaimah, Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean of the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO).
More Kenyan officers arrive
As conflict continues in Haiti, more than 578,000 people are displaced and nearly five million people – nearly half the population – are facing severe hunger, with 1.6 million at risk of starvation.
Last October, the United Nations Security Council Authorised the deployment of a Multinational Security Assistance (MSS) mission to support the struggling national police force in quelling gang violence.
Kenya has offered to lead the non-UN mission and international media reported that another 200 of its police had arrived in Haiti, joining some 400 already there.
The violence has crippled Haiti’s agricultural sector – the main source of income for families – and disrupted education and health care. More than 900 schools have closed since January, while in the capital Port-au-Prince, nearly 40 percent of all inpatient health facilities are closed.
Impact on family
Furthermore, families that were once economically independent have lost their income, affecting their access to food and health care. Most of those displaced do not know whether their children will be able to return to school.
The humanitarian delegation met with senior Haitian officials, including new Prime Minister Gary Conille as well as the municipal governments of Les Cayes and Gonaives.
They stressed that the international community must continue to support the Government of Haiti in providing life-saving aid and development assistance.
“Millions of families are desperate for an end to this relentless violence. It is vital to strengthen protection services for women and children. – those who are bearing the brunt of this crisis – and speeding up humanitarian aid to those in need,” said Ms. Elmi.
Aid shortage
In February, the United Nations and partners has been released a $674 million humanitarian response plan for Haiti, but by mid-year less than a quarter are funded.
The statement warned that the cost of inaction will be too high if the response is not scaled up now, noting that international and local humanitarian partners have found solutions to reach and assist Haitians across the country despite the challenging security situation.
While stressing the vital importance of humanitarian aid, the statement also stressed that Haiti’s challenges “are based on years of underinvestment in basic social services and humanitarian aid is only a temporary solution that cannot solve the country’s deep structural problems.”
Humanitarian responses must be linked to sustainability and serve as “a stepping stone to long-term, sustainable recovery actions,” Ms. Koulaimah said.
“We call on the international community not to miss this extraordinary momentum and to step up efforts and mobilize resources to address urgent humanitarian and development needs.”
