UN SECRETARY general Ban Ki-moon has launched the world body’s largest ever appeal for humanitarian aid, for Haiti.
Speaking in New York, alongside his special envoy for Haiti, the former US president Bill Clinton, and the head of humanitarian affairs at the UN, the British diplomat John Holmes, Mr Ban said the immediate priority is for shelter and sanitation.
The UN appeal, for $1.44 billion (€1.06 billion), will be spread over one year and includes the $577 million request made in the immediate aftermath of the January 12th earthquake. The previous record appeal, for $1.41 billion, was issued after the 2005 Indian Ocean tsunami.
Even if the goal is reached, it will provide only a fraction of the estimated $16 billion required to rebuild Haiti. UN satellite imagery shows 38 per cent of Port-au-Prince’s buildings were destroyed. Some experts call the quake the worst natural disaster in modern history.
Heavy rain on Thursday mired Port-au-Prince in mud and emphasised the urgency of providing shelter to 1.2 million homeless earthquake survivors. UN officials say only 272,000 people have received shelter materials so far.
Most of the homeless live in the open, often with a bedsheet tied to sticks as protection from the sun. There have been reports of women being raped in these “tent cities”.
Aid workers are reluctant to distribute insufficient numbers of waterproof tents, because too many people will crowd into them. Nearly six weeks after the 7.0 magnitude earthquake, aftershocks continue.
“We are with you,” Mr Ban said to the people of Haiti in his speech on Thursday. “We will help you to recover and rebuild.”
Mr Clinton urged donors to “Pledge less – and give it. And do it sooner than later.” To assuage fears of corruption or mismanagement, Mr Clinton told donors to track their money on his website, HaitiSpecialEnvoy.org.
Mr Clinton, who was released from hospital after a cardiac procedure one week ago, followed up the UN appeal by meeting with Haitian-Americans in New York.
In an e-mail published in the journal Foreign Policyhours before the UN appeal, Mr Holmes criticised the "cluster" strategy adopted by the UN, saying it was poorly co-ordinated, had failed to meet needs and could lead to unrest in Haiti.
Mr Holmes’s office told Reuters the e-mail was never intended to be made public.
The Caribbean island is making some progress towards recovery. American Airlines yesterday resumed commercial flights to Haiti.
The airline plans three flights daily from Florida, and will soon resume flights between New York and Port-au-Prince.
Meanwhile, Minister of State for Overseas Development Peter Power has announced funding of more than €800,000 for three Irish aid agencies working in Haiti.
The funding, which is being provided to Concern, World Vision and Haven, will support child protection measures and the provision of clean water and sanitation.
“Thousands of Haitian children have been orphaned or separated from their families and safe-guarding their welfare must remain a top priority,” Mr Power said. “The funding I am announcing today will support the identification and registration of vulnerable children and fund measures to help them deal with the enormous trauma they have suffered.”
Mr Power said that he had pressed his European counterparts at a meeting in Spain this week to ensure that the EU co-ordinated its relief efforts effectively, in co-operation with the UN, the US and others.
“The Government’s response, both financially and in kind, has exceeded €3 million and I expect to make additional financial commitments to Haiti’s recovery in the coming weeks,” he said. “In addition to the funding, which is hugely important, the Government has provided more than 130 tonnes of essential humanitarian supplies and deployed highly-skilled personnel from the rapid response corps.”