Haiti: 'the situation has only deteriorated” - UN Humanitarian Coordinator Press Conference

UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Haiti, Ulrika Richardson said that since her last briefing in December, “the situation in Haiti has only deteriorated,” adding that more than almost half of the population,- about 5.2 million people - are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance. Speaking to reporters via a video link today (14 Apr), Richardson said, “First of all, the people’s need of our protection assistance has doubled in one year. So that is something that we need to bear in mind because this is a humanitarian crisis, but it's actually above all protection crisis.” She continued, ”then we've seen also the number of acts of armed violence against schools has increased by nine in one year, and that is really worrying, particularly if you think of the impact on children that this crisis is having.” Richardson also said that half of the population is facing high levels of food insecurity, noting that that is a figure that has almost quadrupled since 2017. She also said, “A quarter of the households in the country don't use safe drinking water. We call that it's unimproved water sources for drinking, which obviously has its own impact in terms of health implications.” On gang activities in the country, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator said, “We can actually safely say that armed gangs control either directly or indirectly majority of the Metropolitan Port-au-Prince.” She continued, “the gang activities are often armed." They include murder, sexual violence, including very brutal incidents of gang rape, she explained. Adding that "often unfortunately is done against obviously women, mostly young women, and it's done in public spaces and sometimes even during the light of day. Kidnapping is also on the rise. So these are, this is part of the reality that Haitian face every day.” On Thursday (13 Apr), the UN launched a 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan for Haiti that is seeking $720 million to deliver lifesaving assistance this year to more than 3 million people. Richardson said, “This ambitious plan is also based on the fact that despite the very difficult operational environment that we as humanitarians face, we have access, we can do, we can deliver humanitarian assistance. And so we have access to some of those hard to reach areas.” She added, “The plan aims to reach 3.2 million people in need, and that is with humanitarian and protection assistance. And this is out of the 5.2 million that I mentioned initially that are in need of humanitarian assistance at the time.” The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator concluded, “The plan here is quite unique, because what Haiti is facing right now is a unique crisis. Meaning we have levels of violence that are unprecedented, we have levels of humanitarian needs. including for example, food insecurity, that is unprecedented. And I think with this, we really have very strong arguments that now is the time to show solidarity with Haiti.” This year’s funding appeal for Haiti is the largest since the devastating 2010 earthquake – and more than double the amount requested in 2022 – underscoring the scale, severity and urgency of the country’s humanitarian crisis.


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