UN deputy chief praises resilience of Haiti’s people, says ‘incredible’ relief effort underway

Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed flew to Haiti yesterday evening to explicit the UN’s unwavering enactment to the Haitian radical pursuing the earthquake that devastated the state six days ago.

The fig of affected radical continues to ascent successful the aftermath of the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that deed Haiti’s confederate peninsula connected 14 August. More than 2,100 radical person been reported killed, and 10,000 others injured truthful far.

The quake was followed by Tropical Storm Grace, which caused flooding successful the quake-affected areas. According to authorities, an estimated 600,000 radical request humanitarian assistance.

During her mission, Ms. Mohammed met with affected communities successful the earthquake-damaged metropolis of Les Cayes.

“I saw erstwhile again the unthinkable resilience of the Haitian radical who person suffered truthful overmuch and are present mobilized to enactment their neighbours and communities successful the aftermath of the earthquake.” she said.

She added: “We basal present successful solidarity with Haiti and are successful awe astatine the unthinkable enactment the nationalist authorities and the UN agencies are doing to assistance successful these hard times”, she said.

Words of encouragement

Upon her accomplishment past night, Ms. Mohammed met with Prime Minister Ariel Henry and reiterated the UN’s enactment for the struggling Government.

Accompanied by Achim Steiner, Administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), they besides met with the UN Country Team, arsenic good arsenic with members of civilian society.

They visited the South Department, which was peculiarly affected by the quake, met with radical impacted successful Les Cayes and visited the Immaculate Conception Hospital.  

The lawman UN main offered words of encouragement to nationalist and planetary employees moving alongside nationalist institutions.

UNOCHA/Matteo Minasi

The Immaculate Hospital successful Les Cayes, Haiti was mostly unscathed by the 7.2-magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti.

Solidarity, anticipation and lessons for the future 

Ms. Mohammed said determination were lessons to beryllium learnt from the 2010 earthquake to bash things otherwise truthful that Haiti tin retrieve better. This, she underlined, “will necessitate investing successful semipermanent improvement and supporting Government leadership”.  

UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner said, “What I person seen connected this sojourn is devastating — truthful overmuch demolition and suffering. And yet, astatine the aforesaid clip I person seen the solidarity and anticipation of the Haitian radical successful the look of specified a tragedy.” 

He stressed: “Haiti needs our enactment successful this captious moment. The UN Development Programme volition bash its utmost to enactment the radical of Haiti successful this hr of request arsenic good arsenic successful the ongoing betterment and reconstruction.” 

UN connected the ground  

Meanwhile, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) are connected the ground, moving with partners to present urgently needed supplies, including medicine, harmless h2o and tarpaulins, adjacent arsenic flooding and mudslides hamper alleviation efforts. 

And the ECOSOC Ad Hoc Advisory Group expressed its solidarity with the radical of Haiti and called connected the planetary assemblage to “remain collectively engaged” successful addressing some contiguous humanitarian needs and the country’s “long-term sustainable development”. 

It lone took 'a fewer seconds' 

Marianela González of the World Food Programme (WFP) was successful Port au Prince erstwhile the earthquake shook confederate Haiti.  

She said that “it took a fewer seconds to recognize what was really happening, but successful those seconds hundreds of radical had died”.  

Even earlier the quake, WFP has been supporting more than 200,000 radical who cannot spend even one meal per day.  

“The earthquake happened nether the aforesaid people, the extortion fell connected the aforesaid people, and Tropical Storm Grace rained connected the aforesaid radical successful Les Cayes, Jérémie and galore different communities wherever the harm and needs were besides visible”, said the WFP official.  

Another furniture of crisis 

Ms. González described the earthquake as “a furniture of situation connected apical of a overmuch longer and overmuch deeper situation successful Haiti”.  

Meanwhile, WFP continues to distribute hot meals successful hospitals, currency and logistical capableness to enactment humanitarian and aesculapian assistance.  

“Definitely hard to beryllium present contiguous and participate those hospitals, to spot radical connected the streets without extortion to slumber under, particularly children”, she said. “But we are here, and it is simply a privilege and a responsibility”.  

Focus connected humanitarian needs 

Earler successful the day, the Secretary-General’s Associate Spokesperson, Eri Kaneko, informed journalists astatine a regular media briefing that the UN Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Ramesh Rajasingham will sojourn the country on Monday to draw international attraction to the expanding humanitarian needs following Saturday’s devastating earthquake. 

During three days of field visits, he is scheduled to engage with internally displaced people, section authorities and nationalist and planetary responders.  

Mr. Rajasingham is besides expected to conscionable nationalist authorities and diplomatic representatives successful Port-au-Prince.