UNITED NATIONS – The Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations Amina Mohammed has praised the resilience of the people of Haiti, stating that relief teams are “working day and night”, in the aftermath of last week’s massive earthquake and subsequent tropical storm.
According to the UN, the deputy chief flew to the French-speaking Caribbean country on Thursday “to express the UN’s unwavering support to the Haitian people following the earthquake that devastated the country six days ago.”
The number of affected people continues to climb in the aftermath of the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that hit Haiti’s southern peninsula on August 14.
More than 2,100 people have been reported killed, and 10,000 others injured so far.
The earthquake was followed by Tropical Storm Grace, which caused flooding in the quake-affected areas.
According to authorities, an estimated 600,000 people need humanitarian assistance.
During her mission, it said Mohammed met with affected communities in the earthquake-damaged city of Les Cayes.
“I saw once again the incredible resilience of the Haitian people who have suffered so much, and are now mobilized to support their neighbors and communities in the aftermath of the earthquake,” she said.
“We stand here in solidarity with Haiti, and are in awe at the incredible work the national authorities and the UN agencies are doing to help in these difficult times”, she added.
On her arrival in Haiti, Mohammed met with Prime Minister Ariel Henry and reiterated the UN’s support for the struggling government.
Accompanied by Achim Steiner, administrator of the UN Development Program (UNDP), the UN said they also met with the UN Country Team, as well as with members of civil society.
The UN said they visited the South Department, which was particularly affected by the quake, met with people impacted in Les Cayes and visited the Immaculate Conception Hospital.
The deputy UN chief offered words of encouragement to national and international employees working alongside national institutions, the UN said.
Mohammed said there were lessons to be learnt from the 2010 earthquake to do things differently, so that Haiti can recover better, according to the UN.
This, she underlined, “will require investing in long-term development and supporting Government leadership”.
Steiner said: “What I have seen on this visit is devastating — so much destruction and suffering. And yet, at the same time, I have seen the solidarity and hope of the Haitian people in the face of such a tragedy.”
“Haiti needs our support in this critical moment,” he stressed. “The UN Development Program will do its utmost to support the people of Haiti in this hour of need, as well as in the ongoing recovery and reconstruction.”
Meanwhile, the UN said its Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is on the ground, working with partners to deliver urgently needed supplies, including medicine, safe water and tarpaulins, even as flooding and mudslides hamper relief efforts.
The UN’s Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Ad Hoc Advisory Group expressed its solidarity with the people of Haiti and called on the international community to “remain collectively engaged” in addressing both immediate humanitarian needs and the country’s “long-term sustainable development”.
Marianela González of the World Food Program (WFP) was in Port-au-Prince when the earthquake shook southern Haiti.
She said that “it took a few seconds to realize what was actually happening, but, in those seconds, hundreds of people had died”, according to the UN.
Even before the quake, WFP has been supporting more than 200,000 people who cannot afford even one meal per day.
“The earthquake happened under the same people, the roof fell on the same people, and Tropical Storm Grace rained on the same people in Les Cayes, Jérémie and many other communities where the damage and needs were also visible”, said the WFP official.
González described the earthquake as “a layer of crisis on top of a much longer and much deeper crisis in Haiti”.
The UN said WFP continues to distribute hot meals in hospitals, cash and logistical capacity to support humanitarian and medical assistance.
“Definitely hard to be here today and enter those hospitals, to see people on the streets without roof to sleep under, especially children”, González said. “But we are here, and it is a privilege and a responsibility”.
Earlier on Friday, the Secretary-General’s Associate Spokesperson, Eri Kaneko, said that the UN Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Ramesh Rajasingham will visit Haiti on Monday “to draw international attention to the increasing humanitarian needs following Saturday’s devastating earthquake.”
During three days of field visits, Kaneko said Rajasingham is scheduled to engage with internally displaced people, local authorities and national and international responders.
Rajasingham is also expected to meet national authorities and diplomatic representatives in Port-au-Prince.
