By NAN Staff Writer
News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Thurs. Oct. 27, 2016: Only 27 percent of the almost USD 120 million emergency appeal launched by the UN humanitarian wing for Haiti has been secured so far a top UN official said yesterday.
His comments come as the Haitian people continue to struggle to cope with the impact of Hurricane Matthew and an ongoing cholera epidemic. Speaking to UN News Service Wednesday, UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson said it is “disappointing,” the funding support received to date.
He urged the international community to show solidarity with the Haitian people and “do the right thing.”
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on October 10th had announced the launch of the near $120 million appeal to fund United Nations aid activities in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew in Haiti, where the rising death toll coupled with the start of the rainy season prompted the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to sound the alarm on the threat of waterborne diseases to children living in the worst-affected areas.
The UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has so far allocated $5 million in emergency funds to kick-start assistance following the release earlier of a loan of $8 million dollars to the UNICEF to scale up response to the worsening cholera epidemic in Haiti.
The so-called Flash Appeal, launched by the UN on behalf of the international humanitarian community, requests $119,850 to respond to “the most urgent needs” of people impacted by the storm, which made landfall in Haiti on October 4th and went on to leave a swath of devastation throughout the Caribbean and the Southeastern United States.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OC HA), the appeal targets vulnerable groups in identified priority sectors, and it takes into account the national level capacities and those of humanitarian partners on the ground.
Eliasson, meanwhile, this week announced the launch of the UN Haiti Cholera Response Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTF) to generate and manage resources to support the coordinated system-wide response and support the establishment of strong water, sanitation and health systems in the country.
He explained that the first track will cost about $200 million. The second, a support package to reach those immediately affected, which involves looking back and reaching out to specific communities and individuals, would entail an additional $200 million. Together, the $400 million package would be implemented over the course of two years in consultation with the Government and people of Haiti as well as other stakeholders.
Hurricane Matthew, which tore through the tiny island nation when it made landfall on October 4th, ultimately impacting some 2.1 million people.
