The international airport was closed due to widespread gang violence in the country.
The flight carried nearly 15 tons of medicine and medical supplies to supplement the resources of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and World Health Organization (WHO).
Mr. Dujarric speak this will “support vital, life-saving operations as insecurity continues to limit people’s access to healthcare, mainly in the metropolitan area of the capital Port-au -Prince and the Artibonite district.”
Funding shortage
A spokesperson for the Secretary-General said local NGOs along with WHO are providing a range of services to displaced civilians, including “malnutrition screening, cholera prevention as well as psychosocial support”.
Mr. Dujarric said he hopes that the gradual opening of the airport in Haiti will allow for the transport of more supplies; he said that donor support is needed.
He added that the humanitarian response plan for the country requires $674 million but only 21% of the amount – $142 million – has been received.
Multinational security support
Meanwhile, UNICEF is warning about the recruitment of children by armed groups in Haiti, a spokesman for the Secretary-General said.
Reportedly, 30 to 50 percent of members of armed groups are children, subjecting them to “coercion, abuse and exploitation stemming from persistent social, economic and political fragility caused by violence.” “The ongoing violence has left many parts of the country in chaos.”
Haiti’s Ministry of Justice, Education, Labor and Social Affairs is working to facilitate the reintegration of young people formerly affiliated with armed groups in the hope that this will protect their welfare .
Mr. Dujarric said that the UN Secretary General António Guterres called for the rapid deployment of a Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission to Haiti to assist local police in dealing with security situations.
He said Mr Guterres called on Member States to ensure the MSS was appropriately supported financially and logistically.
Mr. Dujarric said children who were members of armed groups in Haiti were the reason for the rapid deployment of MSS.
