International

Humanitarian Response in Haiti a Success, says UN

NEW YORK, USA (defend.ht) – The United Nations established a positive assessment for humanitarian aid in Haiti, on Wendesday, nearly two years after the earthquake of January 12, 2010.

The UN Humanitarians Coordinator in Haiti, spoke from New York, saying, "two years later, we can say that the humanitarian response was a success."

According to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the number of people living in the camps has decreased from 1.5 million in July 2010 to about 550,000 people today.

Half of the debris of the earthquake has now been cleared (5,000,000 m3), said Nigel Fisher. However, he lamented that almost 46% of the Haitian population still lives "in a situation of food insecurity." The earthquake that devastated the country in January 2010, killed more than 200,000.

In addition, the coordinator said that investment in recovery efforts and long-term development were the solution to many problems the country faces today.

Almost two years after January 12, 2010, Haiti has shown signs of progress, but hundreds of thousands of people still need help, Fisher warned, speaking to reporters in New York and Geneva before launching a call for Haiti in 2012.

Next year, 231 million U.S. dollars will be needed to meet the immediate needs that are still unmet and for projects in the longer term. More than $53 million will be spent to provide better shelter and camp management exist. Projects in health, sanitation and hygiene, will require about 68 million to campaigns for prevention and vaccination.