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UN aims to help rebuild Haiti
After almost two weeks since the earthquake, the UN is focusing on the coordinated and timely distribution of humanitarian assistance. The United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) continues to provide escorts for humanitarian aid to ensure it is delivered safely and distributed equitably. According to the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO), the clear majority of humanitarian assistance is now being provided by the UN, as well as security. Aid supplies are arriving on 130-150 flights a day at Port-au-Prince Airport. Rudimentary operations have been under way at some of the harbour facilities in Port-au-Prince.
The security situation in Port-au-Prince remains calm but fragile, with isolated instances of looting and one incident on 23 January when MINUSTAH peacekeepers fired warning shots and employed tear gas. The numbers of Haitian National Police (HNP) are also on the increase, with the force back up to 70% of its strength, according to DPKO.
MINUSTAH troops carried out more than 110 patrols between 23-25 January. Scores of joint MINUSTAH police and Haitian National Police patrols are ongoing. The Haitian government has asked MINUSTAH to assist with guarding prisons and recapturing escapees.
As of 24 January, the Government estimates that there have been 112,250 deaths and 194,000 injured as a result of the earthquake. The number of people in need of shelter ranges from 800,000 to one million. The Delmas area in Port-au-Prince has the highest number of displaced people, according to the UN Shelter Cluster. Some 700,000 family-sized tents and shelter material are urgently required, as well as camp construction and management for displaced families. More ready-to-eat meals are also required for short-term food needs.
UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes, UNDP Administrator Helen Clark and Acting Special Representative of the Secretary-General (A/SRSG) Edmond Mulet attended a high-level Ministerial Conference on Haiti in Montreal on 25 January, to prepare for Haiti’s reconstruction. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Haiti Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive and foreign ministers from a host of other nations also attended the conference. (Note: Their statements were distributed under a separate cover.)
At the conference, A/SRSG Mulet submitted an official proposal to participants setting out strategic objectives and directions to bring together and coordinate all actors at different levels – including political, humanitarian, and military – to deliver the relief that Haiti needs and the international community expects. As part of the proposal, a Joint Operations Tasking Centre (JOTC) has been set up in Port-au-Prince to coordinate relief efforts. It will start operations on 26 January. MINUSTAH, the Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), and the U.S. and Canadian military forces in Haiti are members.
The cluster system, led by OCHA, continues to work well, coordinating all UN agencies, NGOs and other humanitarian organizations on the ground. Humanitarian stocks are increasing and aid clusters are expanding operations. More than 500 organizations are now involved in relief efforts.
The World Food Programme (WFP) has delivered 2.6 million rations, the equivalent of nearly 8 million meals, to nearly 400,000 people. WFP aims to reach 100,000 more people each day as the operation scales up.
Water continues to be distributed daily at 115 sites in Port-au-Prince, reaching an estimated 235,000 people.
More than 235,000 people have left Port-au-Prince to other areas of Haiti, using the free transportation provided by the Government. The largest movement of some 62,000 people is reported in Artibonite department, north of the capital.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) continues to reach children with life-saving support. It is ensuring that children gathered in what remains of schools, hospitals and orphanages get adequate food and water, and is working with the Haitian Government to increase its presence to protect children and prevent them from being illegally removed. This week, UNICEF and the Ministry of Health will conduct immunization against measles for 360,000 children under age five.
There have been no reported outbreaks of communicable diseases, such as cholera, measles and rubella, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). The Haitian Ministry of Health, in collaboration with PAHO, has developed an epidemiological surveillance form as part of an early warning system for communicable diseases.
An OCHA-supported multi-cluster rapid need assessment will start on 25 January to analyze needs in health, food, shelter/non-food items, protection, and water, sanitation and hygiene. Twenty teams of trained national and international assessors will carry out the assessment by road and by helicopter from 25-27 January in Port-au-Prince and other affected areas. Information will be collected from 105 sites across Haiti to provide baseline information for humanitarian operations and future requirements.
Normal activity has returned to some parts of the capital and market-level commerce is increasing. Forty-four Haitian banks have opened, with security provided by UN peacekeepers. Uneven increases in commodity prices have been reported. The fuel situation is improving steadily and water companies have been contracted to distribute throughout Port-au-Prince.
The Human Rights Council will hold a special session on the human rights aspects of supporting the recovery process in Haiti in Geneva on 27 January.
On 25 January, at the Benfica stadium in Lisbon, Portugal, more than 40 international football stars from across the world competed in the seventh annual ‘Match against Poverty’, organized by the UN Development Programme (UNDP). Proceeds from the 50,000–plus tickets sold will go towards the ‘Cash for Work’ programme in Haiti, called for in the UN’s Flash Appeal. MINUSTAH has enabled TV and radio broadcast of the game in Haiti. The players, brought together through the efforts of UNDP Goodwill Ambassadors Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane, include two rising Haitians from Portuguese football clubs, Jean Sony and Joseph Peterson.
The UN echoes UN Special Envoy for Haiti Bill Clinton’s calls for the general public to donate cash rather than in-kind donations, as cash will provide assistance that will reach people faster. Information on how and where to donate can be found at: http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/missions/minustah/index.shtml
Key Statistics
- As of 24 January, the Haitian Government estimates 112, 250 people killed, 194,000 injured.
- 82 UN staff are confirmed dead.
- 53 UN staff remain unaccounted for.
- Affected population is approximately 3 million.
- The number of people in need of shelter ranges from 800,000 to one million.
- Water is being distributed daily at 115 sites in Port-au-Prince to an estimated 235,000 people.
Situation summary
Logistics
Air: There are 130-150 flights arriving per day at Port-au-Prince Airport and that rate of traffic is expected to remain for the immediate future. Las Americas Airport in Santo Domingo is starting to experience congestion. Additional airports are being configured in the Dominican Republic, in Santo Domingo and close to the Haitian border.
Sea: As many ships arriving at the Port-au-Prince port are too large for current port capacity, a barge system will be put in place. The UN and the US have coordination meetings twice a day to coordinate port repairs and the arrival of vessels. Two tanker terminals at the port can receive cargo.
Food
The Government, WFP and other partners involved in food distribution have reached 500,000 people with food. WFP has delivered 2.6 million rations, the equivalent of nearly 8 million meals, to nearly 400,000 people. WFP aims to reach 100,000 more people each day as the operation scales up.The Government of Haiti is distributing food kits (staples, cooking gear) to 100,000-150,000 people a day. The main constraints are the number of people in need of assistance (estimates of up to 2 million people) and the consequent volume of food aid arriving in country. The airport is congested. The port is not fully operational. The increasing traffic in town is slowing operations. In addition, all partners involved in food distribution must use military escorts and security at the distribution sites.
Health
The number of injured people in need of surgical intervention is diminishing. Important challenges remain, especially in the areas of post-operative care and the adaptation of thousands who have lost limbs. Forty-three hospitals are functioning in the Port-au-Prince area, along with 12 field hospitals (half of which are military hospitals) and two hospital ships (US and Mexico). There are 135 NGOs, bilateral aid organizations and government agencies registered with the UN Health Cluster. PAHO has received blood from the Dominican Republic, Bolivia and the American Red Cross, with more expected next week. Some 130,000 people in Haiti are HIV-positive, with about 50 % on antiretroviral treatment. Many HIV-infected people may have migrated to rural areas and away from treatment. The National HIV/AIDS hospital is now focusing on trauma care.
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene
Water continues to be distributed daily at 115 sites in Port-au-Prince reaching an estimated 235,000 people. An assessment of 15 makeshift sites found that all but one had water. The UN water cluster plans to increase water distribution to reach 500,000 people daily with water, sanitation and hygiene facilities and services.
Shelter/Non-Food Items
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and cluster partners have located 591 improvised settlements with approximately 692,000 displaced people in the Port-au-Prince region. So far, 345 settlements have been assessed. Cluster partners cautioned that the population in transitional sites could be as high as 800,000 as assessments are carried out by day and many people in need of shelter gather at these sites at night. IOM estimates that tents in-country plus expected arrivals constitute a total of 40,000 tents, capable of accommodating 200,000 individuals. The Government has asked for 200,000 family-sized tents, according to the UN.
A United Nations Disaster and Coordination Team (UNDAC)/IOM assessment of shelter needs found that the majority of displacement is in central and southern Port-au-Prince, with the highest percentage (26%) in Delmas. Besides tents, other priority items include tarpaulins, jerrycans, blankets, plastic sheets, hygiene kits and kitchen kits. The UN Logistics Cluster is helping to prioritize incoming cargo. IOM reports that 112,497 people received non-food items on 24 January. Areas of distribution included: Carrefour, Delmas, Jacmel, Juvenat, Petion Ville, Gressier, Bel Air and Solino.
Nutrition
Based on an overall affected population of approximately 3 million people and in view of the situation prior to the earthquake, the UN Nutrition Cluster estimates that approximately 300,000 children under two are in need of support. Some 4,800 children between 6-59 months need treatment for severe acute malnutrition. An estimated 9,600 children between 6-59 months need treatment for moderate acute malnutrition, and approximately 480,000 children under five need treatment for the prevention of malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies.
Some 240,000 pregnant and lactating women also require nutritional support. UNDAC is conducting a rapid general assessment of the affected population in Port-au-Prince and other affected towns from 23-25 January. UNICEF distributed vitamin A, zinc, oral rehydration salts and plumpynut to 1,000 severely malnourished children in Jacmel on 23 January. UNICEF will coordinate the supply of infant formula.
Protection
A protection cluster, led by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) with the support of UNHCR, has been activated, with a child protection sub-cluster led by UNICEF and gender based violence sub-cluster led by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The child protection sub-cluster is carrying out an inter-agency rapid assessment with the Government in makeshift settlement sites, institutions, orphanages and hospitals. Child protection actors are providing non-food items, as well as coordinating health and nutrition support in these locations.
UNICEF and IBERS (the government institution responsible for child protection) estimate there are 600 orphanages in Haiti, with 300 in Port-au-Prince, with an estimated 4,000 children living in extreme conditions. UNICEF is supporting the establishment of child-friendly spaces for separated/unaccompanied children in the outskirts of the capital with capacity for 200,000 children.
Education
All schools remain closed, with no firm indication of when they will re-open. The UN education cluster estimates that 90 % of schools in Port-au-Prince and 60 % of the schools in the South and West departments have been partially damaged or destroyed, affecting some 500,000 children age 5-14 and creating a need for 3,000-4,000 temporary classrooms. Schools will be provided with temporary shelters, safe water, sanitation facilities and educational materials.
The Ministry of Education, UNICEF, Save the Children, along with other partners, will facilitate the establishment of temporary safe learning spaces with a potential target of 300,000-500,000 school-age children. This includes children in areas of return, as well as those residing in reception centers. Capacity-building for teachers in emergency management of classrooms and psycho-social support in coordination with the protection cluster is a priority, as is the provision of school supplies.
Agriculture
The agriculture cluster has completed a rapid rural assessment in Leogane and Grand Goave. Rural houses are severely damaged with some farmers living outside their homes in tents. Irrigation channels are blocked by debris and landslides. Water intakes have not been damaged, and primary cemented channels only need minor repairs. Water is lacking for both human and animal consumption and for crops, putting the next harvest season at risk. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and its partners are determining needs.
Emergency Telecommunications
Difficulties with reliable internet and phone networks continue to impede communication and coordination amongst humanitarian partners. MINUSTAH and WFP are supporting the provision of internet connectivity to the humanitarian community. The cluster is establishing an internet café for use by the humanitarian community, hosted by OCHA with connectivity support from WFP. WFP continues to provide support to agencies and NGOs with VHF handset programming and radio training.
Coordination—Haiti, UN and US: On 22 January, the US Ambassador to Haiti and MINUSTAH A/SRSG Mulet signed a statement of principles on field coordination between the UN in Haiti and the US Government in the earthquake response effort. According to the document:
- The Government of Haiti has primary responsibility for the response to the earthquake, including the maintenance of security and public order by the Haitian National Police, and in leading recovery and reconstruction efforts. Coordination of the international community’s earthquake response is being led by the UN, in consultation with the Haitian government.
- Consistent with its mandate under Security Council resolution 1542 (2004), MINUSTAH is to ensure a secure and stable environment; assist in the restoration and maintenance of the rule of law, public safety and public order; protection of civilians under imminent threat of physicalviolence within its capabilities and areas of deployment.
- The US will deploy a US Joint Task Force (JTF) Haiti to support the humanitarian response. The tasks of the JTF include seeking to ensure the functioning of the transportation infrastructure.
- “The US is also prepared to assist the Government of Haiti as needed in augmenting of security in support of the Government, the people of Haiti and the UN and international partners and organizations on the ground.” US military forces will operate under a US chain of command. The US government “commits to take into account, and as appropriate, fully support priority humanitarian and logistical requirements identified by the UN in their response activities.”
Coordination – the cluster system:
Twelve clusters bringing together NGOs, UN agencies and all other humanitarian organizations, have been established, with Haiti government participation. The 12 clusters are: Camp Coordination and Camp Management; Education; Emergency Shelter and Non-Food Items; Food; Logistics; Nutrition; Protection; Water, Sanitation and Hygiene; Agriculture; Early Recovery; Emergency Telecommunications; and Health. As of 24 January, two operations coordination centres have been established by OCHA and UNDAC in Jacmel and Leogane to assist local authorities with the management of the disaster and to help coordinate international assistance.
Information and outreach:
For affected communities, access to updated information greatly facilitates the provision of humanitarian assistance. The UN radio station in Port-au-Prince, MINUSTAH FM, has been broadcasting since 19 January, with material and technical assistance from Radio France and Télédiffusion de France, providing vital information to the people of Haiti, in Creole and French. The President of Haiti has used the station to address the population in Port-au-Prince. In addition, 20 local radio stations are also broadcasting, and Internews is developing content for broadcast on those stations on behalf of the humanitarian community. Thomson Reuters is running the Emergency Information Service (EIS) providing text information on hospitals.
Flash Appeal update:
The UN has issued a Flash Appeal to donors, which is currently 42 % funded. Of the $575 million requested, $241 million has been received as of 24 January. The appeal has also received $115 million in pledges. Donors are urged to convert all pledges into cash. Early recovery and education are 0 % funded.
Useful links MINUSTAH page on DPKO website: http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/missions/minustah/index.shtml
MINUSTAH website (French only): http://minustah.org/
UN News Centre News Focus - Haiti earthquake page: http://www.un.org/apps/news/infocusRel.asp?infocusID=91&Body=Haiti&Body1=
UN YouTube page: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=4F3959441305AAA3
ReliefWeb Haiti Earthquake Appeal funding: http://ocha.unog.ch/fts/pageloader.aspx?page=emerg-emergencyDetails&appealID=893
Oped by Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
In December, the nations of the world and most of its leaders met in Copenhagen to agree ambitious and immediate global action to combat climate change. That complete vision did not emerge. The task has therefore become more, not less urgent. The window of opportunity to tackle the climate problem closes more rapidly the longer nations delay to act together.
But Copenhagen has raised the challenge to the highest level of government policy, the level where it must ultimately be resolved. Moreover, what emerged from Copenhagen was a consensusamongst leaders on a collective, long-term response to climate change, and a set of measures to implement global climate action, which came close to completion. These together now point the way forward to achieving the bigger, collective goal.
The Copenhagen Accord was crafted by a group of countries including the biggest, richest, poorest and smallest, and incorporating nations responsible for 80 percent of global emissions. It represents a letter of political intent to limit the global temperature rise, it asks countries to record national emission reduction pledges and promises defined short and long-term finance for the developing world. The Accord was not accepted as a formal decision under the UN’s climate convention. But its aims are anchored strongly in the Convention’s objectives. Any country can now associate itself with those aims. Many countries pledged action before Copenhagen and the world should expect them to honour those pledges.
My communication with countries which agreed to the Accord reveals a strong message that it should not lead to a new negotiating track but can be used to unlock areas of disagreement in the on-going talks.
Also at Copenhagen, negotiators came close to decisions on a set of measures which would make a long-term response operational: a framework to help poor countries adapt, a mechanism to speed technology transfer, a progamme to build capacity and agreements to cut emissions from deforestation and agriculture.
It will take time for countries to digest the implications. This is well and good, for they must come to terms with the challenge ahead. Now, industrialised countries can resume discussions to raise their collective mid-term emission cuts into the minus 25 to 40 percent range that science has indicated would avoid the worst climate impacts. Failure to achieve this can only mean the need for greater ambition later. Countries need to discuss how the long-term finance will be raised. Let us also not forget that in Copenhagen, nations pledged $28 billion in short-term finance for immediate action, and this money is sitting in national budgets. Countries need to find how this money can be used as soon as possible to launch immediate action.
The question whether geopolitical shifts are making multilateral agreements harder to reach must also be confronted. My answer is that multilateral agreements are the only tool the world has to agree laws, regulations, accounting norms and market mechanisms that consolidate and catalyse global action, and keep it honest. It is increasingly impossible for nations to actconfidently without these reference points, in a world where no one bloc calls the shots.
Every tool we have to combat climate change on a global scale has come through the multilateral process: the Kyoto Protocol, the Clean Development Mechanism, the Adaptation Fund for developing nations, and the Convention’s financial arm (GEF), which gives dedicated funding access for the poorest and most vulnerable. To reinvent these structures would take time and money the world does not have.
Copenhagen set out to deliver an agreement on four essential areas: medium-term emission cuts by industrialised countries; action by developing countries to limit emissions; finance to implement action; and an equitable governance of the climate regime. Those issues are as relevant as ever. If countries follow up Copenhagen’s outcomes calmly and with their eye on the collective advantage, then they have every chance of completing this promise.
JOINT CAMPAIGN 2009 – 16 days of activism: 25th November to 10th December 2009
“WE CAN end violence against women: ACT – COMMIT – DEMAND
November 25, is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. On this date, I would like to reiterate the commitment made by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s in his “UNiTE to End Violence against Women Campaign” for the UN to support Governments and peoples to eliminate violence against women and girls in all parts of the world.
As you may be already aware, violence against women and girls is a major health and human rights concern in Sri Lanka. It adversely affects the wellbeing of women, men and children. Every year the Forum against Gender-Based Violence (GBV), chaired by UNFPA, campaigns to prevent and end violence against women and to strengthen the multi-sectoral responses to GBV.
To commemorate the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence – which begins on 25th November, the UN designated International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and ends on 10th December, the International Human Rights Day – this year, too, the Forum against GBV, under the theme of “ACT – COMMIT – DEMAND – WE CAN END VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN”, will be conducting a range of events in Colombo and outside, starting with a billboard campaign at the Fort Railway station on 25th November 2009 followed by other interactive activities to create awareness on GBV for commuters and the general public.
As stated by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, “We must unite. Violence against women cannot be tolerated, in any form, in any context, in any circumstance, by any political leader or by any government”. Together WE CAN.
More information is available also in the enclosed press release. If you wish to join any programmes during the 16 Days campaign please, please contact Ms. Shamila Daluwatte, NPO Gender, UNFPA, via 077 7876900, or Ms. Kamani Jinadasa, GBV Forum Facilitator, via 077 3063609.
Watch a video
