UNITED NATIONS – The United Nations Tuesday described the ongoing situation in Haiti as “volatile” resulting in thousands of people being displaced across the French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country.
(File Photo)Stéphane Dujarric, the spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, told reporters that the International Organization for Migration (IOM) noted that between March and June this year, the number of people displaced across the country increased by 60 per cent, from 362,000 to more than 578,000 people.
“The Ouest Department, which includes the capital, Port-au-Prince, accounts for more than a third of all displaced people. More than half of all people uprooted from their homes are children,” Dujarric said, adding that in the past months, people have continued to flee Port-au-Prince towards the provinces, increasing the humanitarian burden for already vulnerable communities.
Dujarric said the UN and its partners continue to support people in the capital and across the country.
He said last week, the World Food Programme (WFP) distributed more than 43,000 hot meals to nearly 13,500 people displaced in nine sites in the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince.
Since March, WFP has provided more than one million hot meals and earlier this week, a cargo flight operated by WFP landed in the northern city of Cap-Haïtien, carrying more than 11 metric tonnes of products for water, hygiene and sanitation activities, as well as educational materials for our partner Save the Children.
The Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) and World Health Organization (WHO) continue to support health care in Haiti, recently distributing nearly four tonnes of medicine and supplies to health centers in the Port-au-Prince area.
But Dujarric told reporters that he was unable to give a figure regarding the amount of aid now in in Haiti and “as I indicated, the World Food Programme was able to deliver meals to people who were displaced and that there was a cargo flight that they had that landed in Cap-Haïtien as well.
“So there is a pipeline for aid. So we’re trying to keep a flow of aid going. The big problem in places like Port au Prince is one of security. So then that question is, can the people who are in need get to the aid that is being provided for them? And for that, we need to make sure that there will be secured in the ground. And we’re hopeful in that regard for the multinational force to be deployed.”
No date has yet been given for the arrival of Kenya-led multi-national force as efforts continue to restore peace and security in the country with criminal gangs reported to be in control of at least 80 per cent of the capital.
The Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Chad, Jamaica and Kenya have officially notified the Secretary-General of their intent to contribute personnel to the support mission.
