Background
The outbreak of violence over the last few months has led to a deterioration in food security and multiple displacements. As the country grapples with an unprecedented crisis, families continue to struggle to meet their most basic needs, while despair grows.
The devastating gang war intensified at the end of March, with heavily armed rivals unleashing new waves of violence, including raids on police stations and the international airport. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) estimates that gang violence claimed 4,451 lives and injured 1,668 last year. And in the first three months of 2024 alone, up to March 22, 1,554 people were killed and 826 injured.
Amid the turmoil engulfing Haiti, its economy continues to struggle. The lack of economic opportunities, coupled with the collapse of the healthcare system and the closure of schools, casts a shadow of despair, driving many to consider migration as their only viable recourse.
Today, it pains me to note that all speeches and callings had not avoided that some of the worst scenarios for Haiti have become realitiesin recent months and weeks.
María Isabel Salvador, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Haiti and Head of BINUH
Briefing to the Security Council, 22 April 2024
Developments
Below are excerpts on the situation in Haiti from the daily press briefings by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
17 May 2024
From Haiti, our Humanitarian Coordinator, Ulrika Richardson, is calling for greater protection and assistance for people living in areas affected by the ongoing violence.
Ms. Richardson said it is simply unacceptable that people going about their daily lives and children playing outside and going to school are targeted. Schools and hospitals are being looted and destroyed.
In the country, some 360,000 people are displaced, the majority of them women and children, including more than 160,000 people in Port-au-Prince.
Many families have been displaced multiple times and the recent coordinated attacks on the neighbourhoods of Delmas and Gressier on 25 April displaced another 10,000 people.
Following assessments in Gressier, our colleagues from the World Food Programme (WFP) are telling us that close to 2,900 people will receive daily hot meals for two weeks.
The agency has also continued food distributions in Cité Soleil, which, as you know, is one of Port-au-Prince’s most vulnerable and poorest neighbourhoods. They have now reached 80,000 people there since last Friday.
16 May 2024
Turning to Haiti, we and our partners continue to support people affected and displaced by the ongoing violence.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM), through its mobile clinics, and its partners have supported more than 20,000 displaced people in the capital, Port-au-Prince, since the end of February.
Our humanitarian partners continue to provide psychosocial support, reaching more than 1,000 children in displacement sites between 8 and 15 May.
As we have mentioned, women and girls are particularly at risk of sexual and gender-based violence given the unsafe conditions in many displacement sites. Humanitarian organizations continue to organize prevention and awareness activities. They also identify survivors and make sure they receive proper care.
UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and their partners have distributed more than 9 million litres of drinking water to more than 70,000 people since March 1st.
Yesterday, a team from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, accompanied by local partners, visited a displacement site in Solino, south of the capital, which currently hosts nearly 900 displaced people. The team spoke with displaced people and partners working on the site. Local NGOs continue to carry out crucial work, but there are significant gaps due to the lack of resources.
We reiterate our call to the international community to support the humanitarian response, especially for our local partners, who continue to be in the front line.
15 May 2024
Turning to Haiti, we have an update on the assistance provided by our colleagues in the country.
On Monday and Tuesday, the World Food Programme (WFP) distributed close to 10,000 hot meals to about 5,000 people displaced in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area.
IOM (International Organization for Migration) also distributed water to two sites hosting displaced people and provided health services through a mobile clinic in one site in Port-au-Prince.
Following assessments in Gressier — after the violent incidents there that we mentioned — WFP, the World Food Programme, is planning to begin hot meal distributions in this community tomorrow.
In the capital, WFP started to transition from hot meals distributions to cash-based transfers for the displaced. So far, more than 37,000 people received cash. In the coming weeks, WFP is planning to provide cash assistance to over 95,000 displaced people.
In addition to this, WFP continued food distributions in Cité Soleil.
Over 65,000 people have received food since last Friday, and the agency’s goal is to reach 95,000 people by the end of this week.
As part of its school meal programmes, WFP has reached 195,000 school children throughout Haiti.
14 May 2024
From Haiti, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has an update about the impact of the attack by armed groups that we mentioned yesterday. It took place in Gressier, south of the capital Port-au-Prince.
According to the first assessments conducted by humanitarian organizations, the May 10 attacks in Gressier have displaced some 4,400 people. Nearly three quarters of them are now sheltering with host families, with others seeking refuge in seven makeshift displacement sites.
This brings the total number of people newly displaced in Port-au-Prince in the past two weeks to nearly 10,000.
More assessments are being carried out, and OCHA is liaising with its partners to coordinate the ongoing response.
UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) and its partners have reached more than 50,000 displaced children and families impacted by attacks since late February through their mobile clinics in Port-au-Prince.
13 May 2024
In Haiti, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warns that people in some neighbourhoods of the capital, Port-au-Prince, are extremely vulnerable, with armed groups continuing to perpetrate coordinated attacks.
Last Friday, the commune of Gressier, south of Port-au-Prince, was attacked and several houses were set on fire. According to local authorities, an unknown number of residents were forced to flee. Our partners are conducting assessments both in Gressier and in nearby areas where people fled.
There are currently 362,000 internally displaced people — half of them children — in the country, with 160,000 of them in the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince. According to the International Organization for Migration, between 8 March and 9 April, some 95,000 people fled the capital, 60 per cent of them to the southern departments.
Despite the volatile situation, humanitarian organizations continue to provide emergency assistance to thousands of people in the capital and other areas of the country.
Since 1 March, the World Food Programme has helped more than 800,000 people across the country through its school feeding, emergency and resilience programmes. The agency has distributed more than 825,000 meals to over 95,000 displaced people in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan zone.
10 May 2024
On Haiti, our humanitarian colleagues warn that the prevalence of sexual and gender-based violence has reached an alarming level in the country. According to a joint report by the Government and our humanitarian partners released today, the number of gender-based violence survivors was five times higher in March than it was in January and February combined.
Some three quarters of the cases concern sexual violence, with 94 per cent of survivors being girls and women, while 78 per cent of survivors are internally displaced people.
The number of cases of gender-based violence committed by members of armed groups represents 72 per cent of reported incidents.
Humanitarian organizations continue to support survivors, with 90 per cent of survivors having received psychosocial support and 25 per cent of rape victims receiving medical care within 72 hours following the incident. More than 1,300 dignity kits have been distributed to displaced people living in sites.
Despite the increasing number of gender-based violence cases, humanitarian organizations have only received 7 per cent of the funding required for prevention and to support survivors. We urgently need additional resources to strengthen the response and provide legal assistance, medical care, psychosocial support and livelihood means for survivors.
9 May 2024
On Haiti, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that we and our partners are responding in the wake of recent attacks in the commune of Delmas, which is in the capital, Port-au-Prince.
Meals, shelter and other supplies have been provided to the displaced people and host community, and we hope to ramp up this assistance as security allows.
This week, the World Food Programme distributed food to 264,000 schoolchildren and more than 5,600 displaced people in Port-au-Prince.
WFP also distributed food to people in Cité Soleil, one of the most insecure neighbourhoods in Port-au-Prince, reaching some 26,000 people this week.
Since the beginning of March, WFP has reached more than 680,000 people.
It has distributed more than 800,000 hot meals to more than 94,000 displaced people in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan zone. WFP has also distributed school meals to more than 330,000 schoolchildren across the country.
Also, since the start of March, we and our partners have distributed 8.4 million litres of drinking water to nearly 70,000 displaced people in Port-au-Prince.
7 May 2024
Our humanitarian colleagues there are telling us that heavy rainfall is affecting the north-west of the country since 3 May, has triggered landslides and floods and damaged buildings and homes in the region. According to local authorities, 13 people were killed in a landslide in Cap-Haïtien.
More rainfall and additional floods are expected in the coming days, including in the capital, Port-au-Prince, where sites hosting people that are displaced by the ongoing violence were already facing sanitation challenges prior to the heavy rains.
And, in a statement related to the violence in the capital, the Humanitarian Coordinator ad interim in Haiti, Bruno Maes, strongly condemned the profound humanitarian impact of the repeated attacks in the Solino neighbourhood and the surrounding areas of Port-au-Prince.
Thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes. Those who remain trapped find themselves without access to water, to food or to fuel.
Mr. Maes urges all armed actors to allow humanitarian organizations to assist those affected, in line with basic humanitarian standards. He also calls on them to stop the violence.
6 May 2024
In Haiti, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tells us that armed violence continues in Port-au-Prince, with more people fleeing the area.
The latest attacks in Delmas — in the metropolitan area of the capital Port-au-Prince — that took place on Friday forced thousands of people to flee violence.
As Dr. Natalia Kanem, the Head of the UN Population Fund [UNFPA] said, women and children — who are the majority of those displaced — are particularly at risk.
Conditions in the displacement sites are deplorable, with women and girls at heightened risk of sexual exploitation and violence and with people struggling to secure food, clean water and the most basic commodities.
Despite the challenges and the fluid security situation, our humanitarian colleagues continue to support people in Port-au-Prince and across the country.
Since February, the World Food Programme has reached 660,000 people through its operations, including its school meals, social protection and emergency programmes across the country.
WHO for its part and its local partners have provided health assistance to more than 36,000 displaced people in 22 sites since February.
3 May 2024
On Haiti, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that recent gang attacks in Port-au-Prince have driven more people from their homes.
On 1 May, a coordinated attack by several gangs occurred in Solino, a neighbourhood in the south of the capital. According to local sources, several houses were burned, and some 10,000 people fled the area.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has activated its emergency track tool to monitor the number of displaced. Food distributions to affected people are being organized. And humanitarian organizations continue to deliver life-saving assistance to people affected by the violence.
Heavy rains have caused flooding in several areas of Port-au-Prince, raising concerns about the potential spread of cholera and other water-borne diseases.
According to our partners, thousands of homes, as well as public infrastructure, have been damaged. Livestock has also been impacted, further aggravating food security and impacting the livelihoods of families who are dependent on agriculture.
The most urgent needs include temporary shelters, hygiene kits and the provision of clean drinking water.
26 April 2024
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that armed violence continues across the country, with Port-au-Prince and the Ouest Department particularly impacted by that violence. Following vandalism and looting by members of armed groups at the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy in the capital on Sunday night, our Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs colleagues stressed that targeting education infrastructure is a violation of humanitarian norms and jeopardizes the well-being of communities already facing immense challenges. The situation also remains volatile at the port. The Varreux fuel terminal is now closed after several attacks by gangs. However, on a more positive note, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that in the past three weeks, more than 100 humanitarian containers were retrieved at the Caribbean Port Service.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian response continues, and the World Food Programme (WFP) has provided daily food assistance to displaced people in Port-au-Prince, and in other departments. On the health front, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) set up mobile clinics at displacement sites to provide medical consultations. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is also providing basic medical and psychosocial services to people displaced. As you all recall, hospitals have been under attack and difficult to reach for people. UNICEF, IOM and their partners continue to distribute drinking water. Since the beginning of March, they have delivered 6.5 million litres across 29 sites.
25 April 2024
We welcome the official installation of the Transitional Presidential Council that took place in Port-au-Prince today. We call on the new authorities and all stakeholders to expedite the full implementation of the transitional governance arrangements. We have taken note of Ariel Henry’s letter, dated yesterday, in which he is resigning as Prime Minister, as well as the publication in the official gazette announcing that Finance Minister Michel Patrick Boisvert is now the interim Prime Minister. The Secretary-General reiterates his call for the swift deployment of the Multinational Security Support Mission to Haiti to support the Haitian National Police in addressing the dire security situation. The Secretary-General appeals to all Member States to ensure the Multinational Security Support mission receives the financial and logistical support it needs to succeed.
24 April 2024
We have a brief humanitarian update on Haiti, where our colleagues continue to support people affected by recent violence, despite the volatile situation. Yesterday, the World Food Programme (WFP) and its partners distributed 3,000 hot meals to displaced people in Port-au-Prince. In other departments, they also provided 216,000 school lunches that included fresh local vegetables, and 5,000 food rations to people in the country's south. The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the World Health Organization continue to support health-care services, including in three hospitals in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area providing maternal health care. They have delivered essential medical equipment and other supplies. The two agencies have also extended their support beyond maternity services, responding to urgent needs in sexual and reproductive health.
23 April 2024
In Haiti, our humanitarian colleagues say that the procurement of essential supplies, including food and medicines, is becoming increasingly challenging — with the international airport closed, main ports barely functioning and roads leading out of the capital blocked.
Fuel availability has also become a pressing issue with prices soaring on the black market and transportation costs on the rise. And you will have noted that yesterday there was a long briefing on Haiti in the afternoon with Catherine Russell from UNICEF, OCHA and our head of the political mission there.
22 April 2024
the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) tell us that despite the difficulties, we and our partners continue to support the most vulnerable people.
Since the beginning of March, UNICEF, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and our humanitarian partners have facilitated the delivery of 5.3 million litres of drinking water to more than 60,000 displaced people across 29 sites in the capital Port-au-Prince.
They also distributed thousands of hygiene kits to displaced sites.
On the health front, with the support of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Haiti continues to strengthen its surveillance for early detection of cholera and other epidemic diseases.
And also, Carl Skau, the World Food Programme’s Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer, has just concluded his visit to Haiti. He went to Cap Haïtien, where he visited resilience projects, including a farmer association that produces bananas, beans and vegetables that WFP buys for its school meals programme in the area. He also met with displaced people who fled violence in the capital and are currently receiving food assistance. Mr. Skau will brief you in person on the situation in Haiti on Thursday in this very room here in New York.
19 April 2024
our political mission there — BINUH — tells us that the first trimester of 2024 has been the most violent recorded since the beginning of 2022.
Our human rights colleagues recorded over 2,500 cases of murder and injuries linked to gang violence — a 53 per cent increase compared to the previous period — which is October to December last year.
As you can imagine — most of the instances of murder and injuries were documented in the capital, Port-au-Prince, but the report adds that the department of Artibonite was also strongly impacted by this violence.
The report states that the impact of violence on children’s rights continues to be extremely alarming and adds that sexual violence continues to be used by gangs. The full report is available online and I encourage you to take a look at it.
On the humanitarian end, today, we can report that UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) and its partners continue to deploy mobile clinics to provide consultations, medical treatments and other health care to children and families at displacement sites.
Our colleagues say that Haiti’s social services are on the brink of collapse amid persistent violence in the capital and medical supplies are alarmingly low rate.
18 April 2024
Turning to Haiti, we and our humanitarian partners continue to reach hundreds of thousands of people with critical assistance, amid ongoing violence in the capital, Port-au-Prince.
The World Food Programme reports that more than 18,000 people were reached with cash transfers and, again yesterday, 210,000 children received a meal in their schools across the country.
As part of the agency’s emergency response, food rations were distributed to about 8,000 people.
And as we have been reporting daily now, WFP provided hot meals to over 13,000 people in the capital of Haiti, which is Port-au-Prince.
17 April 2024
On Haiti, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is telling us that, as violence continues to drive humanitarian needs, supply constraints and transport costs remain major challenges to assist close to 90,000 people displaced across 87 sites in the capital, Port-au-Prince.
As a reminder, more than half of those displaced are women; and a third of them are children.
Meanwhile, with the rainy season under way in Haiti, the risk of flooding is another threat to displaced people and those in the most disadvantaged areas.
Despite the challenges, the humanitarian response continues.
Yesterday, the World Food Programme (WFP) delivered more than 14,000 hot meals to displaced people in the capital area, as well as 226,000 school lunches across the country.
Meanwhile, the World Food Programme — through logistics partners and the UN Humanitarian Response Depot — has facilitated air transport of humanitarian supplies into the country, through Cap-Haïtien, in northern Haiti.
The operation began last Friday, with supplies from the Pan American Health Organization/WHO in Panama, as well as the International Organization for Migration.
12 April 2024
Turning to another humanitarian crisis, and that is in Haiti where our humanitarian colleagues continue to deliver emergency assistance to people affected by the recent violence and despite the ongoing tensions.
Yesterday, 11 [April], the World Food Programme delivered 19,000 hot meals to displaced people in Port-au-Prince. In other provinces, 200,000 children received a school lunch.
UNFPA and its partners continue to support reproductive health, to support protection services, and to provide hygiene kits in displacement sites in the capital through their mobile clinics.
Since the beginning of March, more than 4,600 hygiene kits have been provided. Displaced women and girls also received dignity kits which include soap, sanitary pads, a solar lamp, and other basic hygiene items.
UNFPA and their partners also continue to provide remote psychosocial support and information on accessible gender-based violence services through a free hotline operated by their local partners. Since 29 February, more than 340 calls have been made.
On the education side, our partners warn that many schools remain inaccessible because of the ongoing violence. Some of the schools are occupied by gangs, others by displaced people and some have just simply been looted or just destroyed.
And this morning, our colleagues at the International Organization for Migration told us that since the end of February, because of insecurity, close to 95,000 people have left Port-au-Prince’s metropolitan area to seek refuge in the provinces.
Most of them have headed to the Grand Sud departments, a region that had already received over 100,000 people fleeing violence in the capital in recent months. And as we have been telling you, those communities also that are trying to absorb the displaced people are already under stress.
11 April 2024
The World Food Programme said today that it is ramping up food assistance in the country but warns that its food stocks may run out by the end of this month.
WFP only has enough food in the country to feed 175,000 people for one month and the closure of Haiti’s main port and airport [in Port-au-Prince] about a month ago has disrupted the flow of aid coming into Haiti.
As we’ve been telling you since the start of the current crisis, WFP has reached more than half a million people with emergency assistance, including hot meals for people living in temporary shelters in the Port-au-Prince area. They have also provided cash assistance and school meals in the outlying provinces.
Meanwhile, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tells us that gang violence is disrupting access to health care for Haitians in Port-au-Prince.
The Haiti State University Hospital has remained closed since 30 March, while La Paix University Hospital, the largest functioning public hospital, is of course overwhelmed. Personnel and ambulances also have difficulties accessing areas that are controlled by these armed gangs.
Meanwhile the World Health Organization and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) also continue to support hospitals with equipment and medicines. Since 1 March, UNICEF, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and their partners have delivered more than 4.5 million litres of drinking water in 29 sites across the capital.
And as you know, our $674 million Humanitarian Response Plan for Haiti is severely underfunded, with just 7 per cent of the money being in the bank.
9 April 2024
The World Food Programme (WFP) continues its daily hot meals distribution and yesterday, along with local and national partners they delivered 22,000 hot meals to displaced people in the capital, Port-au-Prince.
Meanwhile, between 5 and 7 April, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and its partners distributed 132,000 litres of water in five displacement sites across the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area.
On the health front, the situation remains extremely fragile, with at least 50 per cent of health facilities in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area being closed or severely disrupted due, of course, to the ongoing violence.
Humanitarian partners continue to support through mobile clinics in displacement sites and the provision of medical equipment and supplies to the remaining functioning hospitals.
Outside of Port-au-Prince, the World Food Programme continues to operate their school canteen programmes and to provide cash transfers to families.
8 April 2024
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that emergency response in the capital continues despite ongoing insecurity.
Since early March, the World Food Programme reached over 500,000 people, including with school feeding, social protection and emergency activities across Haiti. It has also distributed some 500,000 hot meals to over 76,000 internally displaced persons in 57 sites in the greater Port-au-Prince metropolitan area.
Partners have also delivered nearly 4 million litres of drinking water to 29 displacement sites benefiting more than 60,000 people.
Also, UNICEF’s gender-based violence response reached over 4,500 people, including with psychosocial support and the dissemination of information on risks and services to combat gender-based violence in communities.
And for its part, the UN Population Fund continues to provide services through two hotlines for psychological support, referral and case documentation.
Also, as a reminder, the $674 million Humanitarian Response Plan for Haiti is currently just under 7 per cent funded.
4 April 2024
Turning to another humanitarian crisis, this one much closer to these shores and that is Haiti. Martin Griffiths, our Emergency Relief Coordinator, has allocated $12 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to help people impacted by the violence that broke out in the capital Port-au-Prince a month ago. The funds will go towards providing food, water, protection, health care, sanitation and hygiene support to displaced people and host communities in Port-au-Prince and the neighbouring department of Artibonite. Meanwhile, OCHA tells us that the situation remains tense in Port-au-Prince area, with attacks on health-care facilities aggravating the already very dire situation for people. According to our friends at the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), three out of four women and children lack access to essential public health and nutrition services in the metropolitan area.
Yesterday, the World Food Programme (WFP) provided 17,000 hot meals to displaced people in Port-au-Prince. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) distributed more than 70,000 litres of water in six displacement sites across the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area. Just as a reminder that the reason why Mr. Griffiths had to allocate money from the Central Emergency Response Fund is one that’s easy to guess, and that’s because our Humanitarian Response Plan for Haiti is currently only 6.6 per cent funded — that means we’ve received only $45 million out of $674 million that we’ve asked for.
3 April 2024
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that health facilities in Port-au-Prince metropolitan areas continue to be impacted by the ongoing violence — further restricting access to life-saving care for people in and around the capital.
Two health-care facilities — Delmas 18 Hospital and Saint Martin health centre — were looted by armed groups on 26 and 27 March.
La Paix University hospital remains open — and the World Health Organization continues to support the facility, including with the provision of medicine, medical supplies and fuel. However, due to the closure of the State Hospital in Port-au-Prince, La Paix is facing significant strain amid increased workloads for staff.
Our humanitarian colleagues also report that last week, 10 pharmacies in the capital were looted, making it even more difficult for people to get their medication.
Meanwhile, our response efforts continue. Yesterday, the World Food Programme distributed hot meals to more than 27,000 people in Port-au-Prince. And last week, UNICEF, WHO and local partners carried out nearly 600 medical consultations in displacement sites through their mobile clinics.
Also, last week, UNICEF, the International Organization for Migration and partners distributed 300,000 litres of water from 23 March through 1 April. Partners have also delivered hygiene kits in displacement sites.
Also on Haiti, today is the sad twenty-fourth anniversary of the killing of Jean Dominique, who was the husband of Michele Montas, our predecessor, and that crime is yet to be solved.
2 April 2024
A humanitarian update from Haiti.
We and our partners continue to provide emergency assistance to people impacted by the crisis in the capital city Port-au-Prince.
Yesterday, the World Food Programme supplied more than 30,000 hot meals to displaced people in the capital — that’s the largest number of meals ever delivered by WFP in one day since the start of this current crisis. WFP also provided 79,000 school meals to students in the Gonaïves area, in the north of Haiti, and cash transfers to about 1,200 people in Jérémie, which is in the south of Haiti. The ongoing violence in Port-au-Prince is also impacting people outside the capital, as air transportation and maritime services — which are key to transport goods across Haiti — are heavily impacted.
But we have some good news: over the weekend, WFP and its partners were able to charter a boat from Port-au-Prince to Gonaïves. The shipment contained medicines and medical supplies for more than 100 health partners in the northern region and food to replenish dozens of distribution centres in the north-west department, including in schools and in hospitals.
Meanwhile, the continuing insecurity in the Port-au Prince area also is pushing people to leave the capital and find refuge in neighbouring areas. The International Organization for Migration tells us that between 8 and 27 March, more than 53,000 men, women and children left Port-au-Prince. The majority of them are heading towards the Grand Sud departments. Our humanitarian colleagues emphasized that these departments do not have the sufficient infrastructure and host communities do not have sufficient resources to cope with the large number of people fleeing Port-au-Prince.
1 April 2024
A grim humanitarian update for you. Despite the challenges, our partners are continuing to provide daily emergency assistance to people impacted by the violence in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince.
On Saturday alone, our friends at the World Food Programme were able to provide more than 28,000 meals to people who have been forced to flee their homes due to the violence.
Despite this widespread insecurity, WFP reports that it has delivered food assistance to some 480,000 men, women and children across the country since the beginning of March. These efforts are possible thanks to our partners on the ground — including Haitian non-governmental organizations, local businesses and Haitian farmers’ organizations.
In Port-au-Prince, the agency has distributed more than 358,000 hot meals to more than 69,000 people in 48 displacement sites in the past month.
And also, over the past month, our humanitarian partners have delivered more than 2.3 million litres of water to nearly 29 displacement sites, which has benefited some 60,000 displaced people. Health partners have also delivered medicine and provided psychosocial support to traumatized people, including children.
As we have mentioned, Haiti’s health sector has been severely affected by the violence over the past month, with at least half of the health facilities in the capital either closed or functioning below their normal capacity.
The ongoing insecurity in Haiti has worsened the already dire humanitarian situation. Across the country, more than 360,000 people are currently displaced — some 160,000 of whom are in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area. More than 1,000 schools have been closed across the country.
Meanwhile, the Haiti Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan continues to be severely underfunded. Only $45 million of the $674 million required have been received — that’s less than 7 per cent.
28 March 2024
Staying on Haiti, but focusing on the humanitarian situation, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that our response continues even as the situation on the ground remains tense and volatile.
Schools and students in Port-au-Prince are paying a heavy price because of the ongoing violence. UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) condemned an arson attack on a school that took place on 25 March, depriving over 1,000 children of their right to education.
Across the country, UNICEF estimates that more than 1,000 schools have closed or suspended classes due to recent violence and insecurity.
As we’ve mentioned before, the health sector has also been severely impacted, with at least half of all health facilities in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area either closed or having their operations severely disrupted.
The World Food Programme (WFP) continues its daily hot meal programme for displaced people in Port-au-Prince.
Yesterday, our colleagues at WFP reached the largest number of people in a single day this month. They distributed 22,000 meals. Thanks to our local partners, the World Food Programme was also able to access 10 new sites for displaced people. Since early March, WFP and its partners have reached more than 54,000 displaced people with more than 263,000 hot meals in 38 different sites.
Also, since early March, more than 2 million litres of drinking water have been distributed by our partners, reaching some 60,000 displaced people in some 29 sites.
For its part, UNICEF and its partners have conducted more than 700 medical consultations in displacement sites over the last two weeks. Between 18 and 25 March, UNICEF provided psychosocial support to more than 600 children at displacement sites.
Recent events are curtailing people’s access to basic social services. The violence is also hampering aid operations, including access to the port, where there are humanitarian supplies which remain at risk of being looted.
As we have said many times, we need safe and unhindered access to those in need, as well as urgent and flexible funding. The Humanitarian Response Plan for Haiti, which calls for $674 million, is currently only 6.6 per cent funded, which means that we have only $45 million in the till.
And also, I think, Maggie asked a question yesterday about funding. I’m sure she’s listening, wherever she is.
WFP has been able to leverage the support of donors to continue hot-meals distributions in the short term. However, without ongoing support, WFP’s emergency assistance is under threat for the next few months.
For its emergency activities, including hot-meals distributions, WFP requires $61 million over the next six months. The overall funding gap is about $103 million — for the next six months.
26 March 2024
The World Food Programme (WFP) says that yesterday, together with their local partners, they delivered hot meals to 18,500 displaced people, making it their largest distribution in March. However, access to people in need remains sporadic. Between 20 and 22 March, WFP reported that it was not able to reach some 18,000 people in need with food due to roadblocks and insecurity.
Since 29 February, UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) and its partners have distributed some 1.7 million litres of water for more than 15,000 people in Port-au-Prince.
On the health front, the monitoring of disease outbreaks continues in sites for displaced people across the capital. Our health colleagues warn that the distribution of medicine and medical supplies, including supplies to respond to cholera, remains a critical need with insecurity hindering the replenishment of stocks.
Meanwhile, UNICEF’s Executive Director, Catherine Russell, warned today that violence and instability have consequences far beyond the risk of the violence itself, as the current context is creating a child health and nutrition crisis that could cost the lives of countless of children.
25 March 2024
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that violence and insecurity in Port-au-Prince continues to disrupt aid operations.
The World Health Organization warns that less than half of health facilities in the capital are functioning at their normal capacity as the crisis has crippled operations and hindered access to the few remaining facilities.
As an example of the volatile environment and its impact on the health sector, the Bernard Mevs hospital in Port-au-Prince, which had recently reopened, was forced to suspend its operations again due to insecurity.
Despite the challenges, the World Health Organization is supporting the Ministry of Health and local partners with supplies and logistics, including water, sanitation and hygiene and disease surveillance in centres for displaced people.
For its part, the World Food Programme said that yesterday they were able to provide 17,500 hot meals to displaced people.
UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) and its partners continue to provide psychosocial support to people impacted by the recent events.
The humanitarian community continues to strongly appeal to all parties to urgently allow unhindered, safe access to people in need.
22 March 2024
Today, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis was released for Haiti and the figures continue to worsen: nearly 5 million people face crisis or worse levels of acute food insecurity — that is almost half the overall population — including more than 1.6 million people facing “emergency” levels.
The most severely affected areas are in the Artibonite valley — the country’s breadbasket — where armed groups have taken over farmland and stolen harvested crops.
Our humanitarian colleagues continue to do all they can to support Haitians, but time is running out — they urgently need unhindered and safe access and additional funding.
Yesterday again, roadblocks and insecurity prevented the World Food Programme (WFP) and local partners to distribute the planned number of hot meals. They only reached 9,300 displaced people out of the more than 17,000 that were planned for that day.
For their part, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and its local partners today delivered over 60,000 litres of safe drinking water across five displacement sites in the capital.
Meanwhile, people continue to leave Port-au-Prince, despite the risks of passing through gangs-controlled routes. Since 8 March, IOM reports that more than 33,000 people left, with the majority of them heading towards the southern departments of Grande’Anse, Sud, Nippes and Sud-Est. This region already hosts more than 116,000 people who had fled the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince in recent months.
The $674 million Humanitarian Response Plan is currently 6.5 per cent funded, with $43.5 million received.
20 March 2024
And now, turning to Haiti, where our humanitarian colleagues tell us that they were able to bring in by air more than 800 kilos of medicine, including blood bags, and other medical supplies, in addition to humanitarian staff. These supplies have been critical for the health response by UN agencies and NGOs, with health facilities being severely affected by the violence.
This has also allowed humanitarian organizations to have sufficient staff in the country to continue to deliver aid.
And also, the World Food Programme distributed more than 8,400 hot meals yesterday to people forced to flee their homes in Port-au-Prince.
And also, you will have seen that the UN Refugee Agency today issued new legal guidance to ensure that international refugee protection is provided for Haitians who need it. UNHCR’s new guidance aims to assist States with their assessment of asylum claims considering the stark realities facing Haitians today.
In the new guidance, the UN Refugee Agency considers that, in line with the 1951 Refugee Convention, Haitians who should be deemed eligible for refugee protection may include political activists, journalists, judges, lawyers and others fighting corruption and crime, among other risk profiles.
Furthermore, Haitians may also be eligible for refugee protection under the 1984 Cartagena Declaration’s regional refugee definition. Under this definition — this is applied by many countries in the region — refugee protection should be extended to individuals affected by circumstances that seriously disturb public order in the country and by generalized violence in areas impacted by gang activities.
And I would refer you to UNHCR if you want more information on that.
19 March 2024
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that the situation in the capital, Port-au-Prince, remains tense and volatile.
Schools, hospitals and government buildings continue to be attacked, with many having curtailed their operations in Port-au-Prince. On 17 March, the public electricity company reported that several electricity substations in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area were destroyed, leaving several areas without power.
Despite the tense situation, the UN and our humanitarian partners are continuing to deliver aid. UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) and its partners have delivered over 242,000 gallons of water since early March, while WFP and its partners have provided over 146,000 hot meals. Psychosocial support is also being provided to those traumatized by the recent violence.
Meanwhile, the health sector continues to struggle due to the lack of medical supplies, healthcare workers and blood. Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that the Bernard Mevs hospital in Port-au-Prince has gradually resumed its activities, thanks to support from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) in providing medicine and medical equipment. A stock of anaesthetic drugs has been provided to Hospital Université de Paix and Eliazar Germain Hospital in Petion-ville in Port-au-Prince.
The $674 million Humanitarian Needs Response Plan for Haiti is currently 6.5 per cent funded, with $43 million received. This is nowhere near enough to respond to the scale of needs on the ground — we urgently need more support.
18 March 2024
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says the delivery of humanitarian assistance to people in Port-Au-Prince continues, despite the tense and volatile situation in the capital.
On Saturday, UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) reported that one of its containers was looted at Port-au-Prince’s main port. The container held essential items for maternal, neonatal and child survival. These included resuscitators, as well as critical supplies for early childhood development and education and water equipment. Our colleagues from UNICEF condemned the looting and emphasized that depriving children of vital health supplies amidst a collapsing health-care system is a violation of their rights.
With more than 300 containers belonging to UN agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Port-au-Prince, discussions continue with port and state authorities to secure them.
Meanwhile, since early March, the World Food Programme has delivered 115,000 hot meals to people displaced in the capital.
On the health front, the Hôpital Universitaire la Paix, the only public hospital in Port-au-Prince with the capacity to treat trauma, continues to operate with support from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the World Health Organization. The hospital has activated its mass casualty plan to increase its capacity to receive more patients.
On displacement, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) says in a new survey that, in addition to creating displacement within the capital area, attacks and insecurity are pushing more and more people to leave the capital to find refuge in provinces, taking the risk of passing through gangs-controlled routes.
From 8 to 14 March, IOM said nearly 17,000 people left the capital. More than half of them are heading towards the Grand Sud departments. Our colleagues tell us that this region already hosts more than 116,000 people who have fled the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince in recent months.
15 March 2024
Our colleagues at the Office for the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) say that the security situation in the capital, Port-au-Prince, remains tense and volatile, with each day of violence bringing more suffering to Haitians.
In a new survey, the World Food Programme (WFP) found that recent events have degraded food security even further. People with the lowest levels of food consumption surged from 32 per cent to 41 per cent, according to the survey. More than two in three households saw their incomes drop, and 7 in 10 departments in Haiti reported that the price of food is increasing.
For its part, the UN Children’s Fund [UNICEF] says that hunger and life-threatening malnutrition are at record levels across the country and concentrated in the capital city’s — Port-au-Prince — poorest, most insecure and congested neighbourhoods. More and more parents can no longer provide appropriate care and nutrition for their children. They also cannot take their children to health-care centres due to the surrounding violence. Nearly one in four children in Haiti suffers from chronic malnutrition, also known as stunting.
The number of newly displaced people stands at 15,000 in Port-au-Prince, but it bears repeating that these families had already been displaced before, in some cases multiple times. Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that people are exhausted and distressed.
We and our national partners continue to work around the clock, despite the risks to reach people in need. Yesterday, the World Food Programme distributed some 14,000 hot meals to displaced people in Port-au-Prince. They also distributed food rations to 3,500 people in Cité Soleil.
14 March 2024
Update for you on Haiti, where our colleagues and partners are continuing to work to deliver life-saving assistance to people in need, despite the limited access and despite, obviously, the very concerning security situation.
Yesterday, the World Food Programme (WFP) was able to provide hot meals to about 13,000 displaced people. But the World Food Programme tells us that this service in Port-au-Prince might be shut down next week if new funding is not secured. WFP urgently needs $10 million to be able to sustain this life-saving programme.
Overall funding this year for the humanitarian response plan is inching up — very slowly but it is inching up — it is now 3.2 per cent funded with about $21.6 million in the bank. Needless to say, much more is needed to meet Haiti’s humanitarian needs for this coming year.
On the health front, our medical partners remain concerned about the overall health situation and particularly about major shortages in the supply of blood.
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), through their national partners, are providing medical assistance via mobile clinics at several sites for displaced people, as well as other key assistance such as water and [psychosocial] assistance.
As you heard, we are reconfiguring our presence in the country, while remaining fully committed to delivering life-saving assistance to the people of Haiti.
The United Nations has authorized the temporary relocation of some internationally recruited personnel from Haiti, while others, who are crisis specialists and humanitarian personnel, will be coming in to help with the operations on the ground.
We are continuing to monitor and review measures that we take as the situation develops.
13 March 2024
We continue to be very concerned by the continuing impact of violence on civilians and the ability of our colleagues to deliver aid.
Despite all these challenges, our humanitarian colleagues are continuing to deliver assistance to those who have been displaced by the most recent violence, while continuing their regular programmes in other departments of Haiti.
To date, the World Food Programme (WFP) has delivered some 75,000 meals to those displaced by the recent violence.
As we have been emphasizing, many of those in need are women and children. They need emergency assistance, as well as spaces where they can be safe. And for that, we need safe and unhindered access to all areas of Port-au-Prince to reach those who need our help the most.
We have a little bit of positive news on Haiti to report today: The first ship was able to leave Port-au-Prince since the end of February, and that ship left for the port of Miragoâne with eight trucks loaded with medicine and medical supplies for the health sector in the Grand Sud Department, which is in the south of the country. The consignment seeks to reach more than 80 health facilities in the area.
And as a reminder, some 5.5 million people — nearly half of the population — of Haiti need humanitarian assistance.
And as we continue to need funding to be able to support the people of Haiti with basic needs, Humanitarian Appeal tragically remains only 2.6 per cent funded. We have $17.7 million in the bank, and we need $674 million for this year.
12 March 2024
I am going to start off with Haiti today and a statement from the Secretary-General: The Secretary-General takes note of the agreement reached yesterday by Haitian stakeholders on a transitional governance agreement, including the establishment of a Presidential Council and the appointment of an interim Prime Minister. He also takes note of Prime Minister Ariel Henry’s announcement that he would resign immediately upon the installation of a Transitional Presidential Council.
The Secretary-General expresses appreciation to CARICOM [Caribbean Community], and other international partners, for facilitating a way forward to resolve Haiti’s political crisis and he calls on all Haitian stakeholders to act responsibly and to take steps towards the implementation of the agreement in order to restore the country’s democratic institutions through peaceful, credible, participatory and inclusive elections. The United Nations, through its mission, will continue to support Haiti on its path towards those elections.
The Secretary-General reiterates his unwavering solidarity with the people of Haiti who are in need of safety, in need of shelter, in need of food and medical care, and to live their lives in dignity.
And you heard earlier from our World Food Programme (WFP) colleague in Haiti, so I won’t repeat what he said.
But on the humanitarian front, on other fronts, I can tell you that our colleagues are continuing to deliver assistance despite the risks.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and its partners continue to run mobile medical and psychosocial clinics at sites for displaced people and are making referrals for the more vulnerable cases.
The capacity of the health system remains a major concern to us, with many health facilities having been forced to shut down. Blood shortages persist at the National Blood Transfusion Centre and efforts are under way to bring in blood that is currently in the neighbouring Dominican Republic.
The total number of displaced people — including the 15,000 newly displaced people in Port-au-Prince — has now reached 360,000 men, women and children in Haiti; that’s according to IOM. More than half of those people are children, which are obviously a particularly vulnerable group.
The lack of goods and resources is worsening an already precarious economic situation, with water and basic services being stretched to the limit.
11 March 2024
The Chef de Cabinet, Courtenay Rattray, is in Kingston, Jamaica. He is representing the Secretary-General at the high-level meeting organized by the community of Caribbean States, CARICOM. Also with him there from the UN is Atul Khare, the Head of the Department of Operational Services (DOS), and Miroslav Jenča, the Assistant Secretary-General [for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas] in the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA).
Our main message to the meeting is that it is critical that we support the Haitian people with one voice towards finding rapidly a Haitian-led solution to the current grave crisis.
The Secretary-General continues to call on the Government and all national stakeholders to agree on immediate steps to stop the ongoing deterioration of the situation in the country and to advance the political process that will lead to elections.
He also continues to urge Member States to accelerate ongoing plans to deploy and, of course, adequately fund the Multinational Security Support mission, which was, as you will recall, authorized by the Security Council last October, and that mission is needed to tackle the grave security needs of Haitians.
You have also been asking me about the trust fund that is supposed to fund this mission, and unfortunately, I can confirm that there are no new contributions so far to the trust fund; it still stands at $10.8 million.
On the humanitarian end, our colleagues continue to do everything they can to deliver assistance to people in need, despite the risks for their own safety.
Since the end of February, the World Food Programme and its partners have delivered more than 50,000 meals to people who have fled their homes. UNICEF and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) have provided nearly 70,000 gallons of water and emergency shelter material.
We, along with our partners also distributed 1,500 hygiene kits to sites where people uprooted by the violence are living.
But that is, of course, not enough. We need unhindered, safe humanitarian access without preconditions.
Our humanitarian partners continue to report shortages of medicine and medical equipment, along with blood, beds and staff to treat the patients who are coming in with gunshot wounds from areas all around Port-au-Prince.
The Humanitarian Needs Response Plan for Haiti, which calls for $674 million, is only 2.6 per cent funded, that means it has only $17.7 million in the bank. That is not enough. We urgently need funding to be able to help the people of Haiti.
And obviously more on Haiti tomorrow at 10:15 a.m., with the WFP Country Director, who has briefed you in the past and is indeed very good.
8 March 2024
We remain deeply concerned by the rapidly deteriorating security situation amid ongoing gang violence and sporadic confrontations between heavily armed gangs and police forces in some parts of the capital, Port-au-Prince.
Our colleagues on the ground tell us that the Haitian National Police have been able to push back coordinated gang attacks on key infrastructures, including the airport. We are, however, very worried about reports of gangs having breached and looted Port-au-Prince’s seaport. Port operations have been suspended for some days now.
The Secretary-General reiterates his calls on the Government and all national stakeholders to agree on immediate steps to advance the political process that will lead to elections.
He also reiterates the need for urgent international action, including immediate financial support for the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, which is desperately needed to tackle insecurity in Haiti.
I can confirm also that the United Nations have been invited to attend the meeting organized by CARICOM (Caribbean Community) that will take place on Monday, and that meeting will take place at CARICOM Headquarters in Kingston, Jamaica. The Chef de Cabinet, Courtenay Rattray, will attend the meeting along with several international partners to foster support towards the restoration of democratic institutions in Haiti in the shortest possible amount of time.
On the humanitarian front, we and our partners continue to support civilians despite the ongoing violence and limited access.
In a statement issued by this morning in Port-au-Prince, the UN team said that gender-based violence protection and services have been reduced or suspended for security and access reasons. They say that if violence continues in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area, about 3,000 pregnant women could be denied access to essential health care.
Yesterday, the World Food Programme and its partners managed to deliver food to over 7,000 people.
Earlier this month, food rations were also provided to 9,000 people in Cité Soleil, including pregnant women and orphans, through local faith-based organizations. More aid distributions are planned in the coming days.
But I want to provide more granularity to some of the operational details I shared with you yesterday.
WFP had suspended its maritime transport service on 23 February — and not yesterday, as I spoke in error — that is, of course, due to increasing insecurity.
While WFP has other means outside of Port-au-Prince to bring in or to purchase food, the suspension of the maritime road service presents a challenge for humanitarian and development organizations to deliver food and medical supplies from the capital to the Great North and Great South areas of Haiti.
For example, in Gonaïves and Jérémie, the World Food Programme used mobile money to send cash to 14,000 vulnerable people in the first week of March.
The humanitarian community reiterates the call to all parties to allow for safe, unhindered access to all people in need, in line with humanitarian principles and norms and, frankly, basic decency.
7 March 2024
The Security Council yesterday, as you know, held a private meeting on Haiti to discuss the alarming escalation in gang violence in the country. The Head of our mission in Haiti (BINUH), Maria Isabel Salvador, briefed Council members.
She underscored the need for urgent action, particularly in supporting the immediate deployment of the Multinational Security Support mission, to address the insecurity facing the Haitian people and to prevent the country from plunging even further into chaos, as gang violence in Haiti has reached unprecedented levels.
Ms. Salvador remains in close contact with the Prime Minister of Haiti, the Government and other stakeholders from across the political spectrum to encourage a peaceful and constructive inter-Haitian dialogue to promote a nationally-owned political solution to this crisis.
And in answer to questions that were raised yesterday regarding official notification from Kenya — I think, Michelle, you had asked — I can tell you that we have not yet received an official notification, in line with Security Council resolution 2699. However — as you have seen, as this was public — President [William] Ruto of Kenya has publicly expressed that his country is ready to deploy police officers to Haiti in the context of the Multinational [Security] Support mission.
Last Friday, following the signing of a reciprocal agreement between Kenya and Haiti that paved the way for a deployment of Kenyan police officers to Haiti, President Ruto announced that his country was “ready for this deployment”.
Also on Haiti, on the humanitarian situation, I can tell you that despite limited access because of the obvious insecurity, we and our partners are using every window of opportunity to deliver aid.
Since 3 March, WFP (World Food Programme) and its partners have delivered more than 7,600 hot meals to displaced men, women and children living in displacement sites. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has now distributed shelter material to more than 650 families.
Our partners are also providing psychosocial support to children and their families through hotlines.
As we mentioned yesterday, the health-care system is near collapse. Many health facilities have closed or have drastically reduced their operations due to a worrying shortage of medicine and the ability of staff to get to the hospitals where they are most needed.
There is also a reported shortage of medical equipment, along with blood, beds and staff to treat patients with gunshot wounds from areas around Port-au-Prince.
The ambulatory emergency centre of Doctors without Borders in the Turgeau neighbourhood of Port-au-Prince, which had been closed since December last year, reopened yesterday. MSF — Doctors Without Borders — also opened a new trauma centre with a capacity of 27 beds and two operating rooms in the Carrefour neighbourhood; that’s on the outskirts of the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince.
The insecurity has also forced our colleagues from the World Food Programme to suspend their maritime transport service, which is currently the only means of transporting food and medical supplies for humanitarian and development organizations from Port-au-Prince to the other parts of the country. There are currently 24 trucks with equipment, medical supplies and other food stuck at the port in Port-au-Prince. And as a reminder, WFP’s humanitarian air service is also grounded due to the activities at the airport.
Many schools remain closed in Port-au-Prince, in Delmas, in Petionville, in Croix-des-Bouquets and Carrefour. A more in-depth assessment is under way to determine the situation in the other communes of the capital city.
The humanitarian community continues to call on all parties to stop the violence and to allow safe, unimpeded access of humanitarian assistance to everyone who needs it and there are a lot of people who need it urgently.
As a reminder the $674 million Humanitarian Response Plan for Haiti is only 2.5 per cent funded. That is only $17 million received.
6 March 2024
Today, the Security Council will hold a private meeting on Haiti to discuss the alarming escalation in gang violence. The head of our mission there, Maria Isabel Salvador, will brief Council members.
The situation in Port-au-Prince remains extremely fragile as sporadic attacks have continued and all flights in and out of Haiti remain cancelled.
The Secretary-General reiterates the need for urgent action, including financing for the Multinational Security Support mission, to tackle the security needs of the people of Haiti.
The Secretary-General reiterates his call on the Government of Haiti and all Haitian stakeholders to set aside their differences and advance a common path towards the restoration of democratic institutions.
And our colleagues who focus on humanitarian affairs say that thousands of civilians continue to be caught up in the violence in the capital Port-au-Prince and beyond.
The majority of the 15,000 newly displaced people we mentioned yesterday are women and children.
Displaced families are traumatized. Access to food, health care, water and hygiene facilities, and psychological support are among the most urgent needs for civilians in Port-au-Prince.
As we mentioned yesterday, we and our humanitarian partners are mobilized and have been delivering emergency aid, but the escalating violence is severely disrupting operations.
Our humanitarian colleagues also advised they’re concerned about the impact of the violence on hospitals, health centres and schools in Port-au-Prince, and some other neighbouring areas in Haiti.
Health infrastructure is on the brink of collapse. Port-au-Prince’s main public hospital has closed due to violence and the inability of staff to actually get to the hospital to support the people who need help. The main hospitals receiving wounded civilians are overloaded, partly due to the number injured. There is an urgent need for blood products in the country. In a positive development, Médicins Sans Frontières announced yesterday that they managed to open another health centre in Carrefour, which is a neighbourhood in Port-au-Prince.
Humanitarian organizations need unhindered access to the most vulnerable people now.
5 March 2024
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that the escalation of violence in several neighbourhoods in the capital, Port-au-Prince, has led to some [15,000; corrected below] people being forced to flee their homes. Most of these people had already been displaced previously.
Despite the security constraints, our humanitarian partners on the ground have begun to respond to these new displacements by providing food; hygiene and health kits; mattresses, blankets and sheets; as well as lamps.
The World Food Programme (WFP) and its partners have delivered some 5,500 hot meals to some 3,000 people living in the three new displacement sites, while the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has started distributing emergency shelter material to more than 300 families.
The humanitarian community in Haiti calls on all sides to put an immediate stop to the violence; to allow safe access to the people in need; and respect human rights and humanitarian norms and standards.
As a reminder, some 5.5 million people — that’s nearly half of the country’s population — need humanitarian assistance.
This year’s $674 million Humanitarian appeal for Haiti is just 2.5 per cent funded; that means it had received only $17 million.
Tomorrow afternoon, the Security Council is scheduled to hold a private meeting on the situation in Haiti. The head of our mission there — Maria Isabel Salvador — is expected to brief on the United Nations’ behalf; that will be done virtually.
I also want to reiterate that the Secretary-General is of course deeply concerned about the rapidly deteriorating security situation in Haiti and its impact on Haitian civilians.
He calls for urgent action, particularly in providing financial support for the Multinational Security Support mission, which is — as a reminder — is not a UN peacekeeping force. This force will need to address the pressing security requirements of the Haitian people and prevent the country from plunging into further chaos.
He also calls on the Government of Haiti and other political actors to swiftly agree to the necessary steps to advance the political process towards the restoration of democratic institutions through the holding of elections.
4 March 2024
The Secretary-General is deeply concerned by the rapidly deteriorating security situation in Port-au-Prince, where armed gangs have intensified their attacks on critical infrastructure over the weekend, including on police stations and two penitentiaries in the Haitian capital.
The Secretary-General reiterates the need for urgent action, particularly in providing financial support for the non-UN Multinational Security Support mission, to address the pressing security requirements of the Haitian people and prevent the country from plunging further into chaos.
The Secretary-General also calls on the Government of Haiti and other political actors to swiftly agree on the necessary steps to advance the political process towards the restoration of democratic institutions through the holding of elections.
29 February 2024
I was asked earlier this week about Benin’s announcement of their intention to contribute personnel to the Multinational Security Support mission.
I can now confirm that yesterday [28 February], we received Benin’s official confirmation of their intent to support the mission with personnel.
We have now received notifications from the following Governments of their commitments to provide security forces to the Support (MSS) mission: these countries are the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin and Chad.
And just to reconfirm that these notifications are sent to us as requested by Security Council resolution 2699, which invites contributing Member States to inform in writing the leadership of the Multinational Security Support mission, the Security Council, and the Secretary-General of their intent to participate in the mission.
Also, a lot of you have been asking about the Trust Fund that we have been requested to set up and that we have [set up]. To date, contributions totalling $10.8 million have been deposited into the Trust Fund.
We are also encouraged by the pledges of some $78 million in recent days that will go directly to the Multinational Security Support Trust Fund, and we encourage Member States to continue contributing to ensure the successful deployment of the mission.
27 February 2024
Today, in Port-au-Prince, we along with our partners, which includes the Government, launched the 2024 Humanitarian Response Plan.
The Plan seeks to provide food, shelter, health, education and protection services for 3.6 million Haitians over the next 12 months, calling for $674 million.
It also comes against the backdrop of a serious protection crisis for millions of Haitians. Nearly 1 in 2 people in Haiti are food insecure, and basic services are on the brink of collapse.
The Humanitarian Coordinator in Haiti, Ulrika Richardson, will be our guest tomorrow to update you on the humanitarian situation in the country.
23 February 2024
We have been briefing you on the ministerial meeting that’s taking place in Rio [de Janeiro] on the sidelines of the G20, entitled “Rising to the Challenge on Haiti”, which was attended by our Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, along with others.
We welcome the financial, personnel, and in-kind commitments announced by several Member States during this event for the Multinational Security Support Mission to Haiti.
We urge all Member States to build on these positive developments and ensure that efforts are expedited towards a successful deployment of that Support Mission in the shortest possible timeframe.