Briefing to the Security Council by Mr. Jan Egeland, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, 5 March 2004

The Humanitarian situation in

Thank you, Mr. President, for this timely opportunity to brief the Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Haiti

To understand the present situation, it is important for Council members to be aware that the traumatic events of recent weeks took place amidst what was already a silent humanitarian emergency in Haiti. After years of political instability and economic decline, the population has been living in extremely precarious conditions.

· 42 per cent of the population lives below the poverty line;

· Only 20 per cent of adults have regular employment;

· 40 per cent of Haiti’s 8 million people have no access to any kind of health services and Haiti has the highest maternal mortality rate in the Western Hemisphere;

· One in 10 children dies before the age of 5 and,

· Half of primary school age children are not attending schools.

The events of recent weeks have exacerbated this situation of extreme poverty and vulnerability especially in the areas of (REFER TO MAP) Gonaïves, Port de Paix, Cap Haïtien, Fort Liberte, Hinche and Port au Prince. Let me just highlight the most critical needs: First, health services have been seriously affected by violence and transport and supply disruptions. One of the most alarming aspects of the breakdown of law and order was the intrusion of armed gangs into hospitals and health centers, terrorizing the staff of these health institutions. Many health workers stopped reporting to work and only now are beginning to return. Many hospitals and health centers stopped operating over the past two weeks. Those who cannot afford private treatment are finding it very difficult to get any medical attention at all. We will make all efforts to get hospitals up and running.

Second, food security has been seriously undermined. Transport and distribution problems have disrupted food supply in general and humanitarian food aid in particular. Food stocks were looted in a number of locations. Remaining stocks cannot be transported nor can new supplies be brought in until they can be adequately protected. Food prices have more than doubled in some areas. The international food aid programme, serving 9 per cent of the population, has virtually ground to a halt during the emergency. We must quickly re-establish the food pipeline.

Third, in the education sector, most schools and universities have been closed since Christmas and teachers have stopped reporting to work. Most of the current school year will probably be lost. Reopening schools is a priority measure in any emergency as it helps restore a sense of normalcy and takes young people off the streets.

Over 1400 have attempted to seek refuge in neighbouring countries but the majority has been returned. UNHCR is in touch with the respective countries.

Mr. President,

Humanitarian agencies have had no access to most of their beneficiaries for several weeks. Security and a quick restoration of law and order are the most critical measures in obtaining safe, unimpeded and sustained access to all parts of Haiti. We still retain 45 international staff in Port-au-Prince after having evacuated non-essential staff to . In the last three days, the general situation has improved but remains volatile

2 particularly outside of Port au Prince. A curfew remains in effect in Port-au-Prince and incidents of looting and shooting there have declined. Police officers are returning to duty and they have begun joint patrolling of capital city with the Multinational Interim Force. However, beyond the capital, there is a security vacuum. I’d like to draw your attention to one worrying example: in Fort Liberté, the recently released prisoners are reportedly in charge of what they call security in town.

The United Nations and the humanitarian community at large have reacted swiftly. As ERC, I have taken a number of measures to respond to the crisis. I have designated Mr.Adama Guindo, the United Nations Resident Coordinator and UNDP Representative, as Humanitarian Coordinator for Haiti. Mr. Guindo has organized a humanitarian coordination group that includes the United Nations, donors and non-governmental organizations. UNICEF, WFP, UNDP and my own Office, OCHA, have deployed emergency staff and are prepared to deploy additional staff as soon as security permits.

Humanitarian organizations have restarted emergency activities in critical sectors, such as food, health care and water and sanitation. The World Food Programme, which prior to the fighting assisted 375,000 people, has resumed food distribution in Port au Prince. It has a ship with 1,200 mts of food waiting offshore of Cap Haïtien to deliver when conditions permit. A UNICEF flight carrying over 30 mts of medical, education and sanitation supplies arrived in Port-au-Prince on Wednesday. UNICEF has started distribution of emergency health supplies to hospitals and health centers utilizing NGO partners. Both UNICEF and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) have pre- positioned stocks in the for cross-border deliveries.

NGOs and the ICRC have also been active in responding to the crisis. The ICRC is delivering 34 mts of health supplies including two hospital modules provided by the Norwegian Red Cross and is working to reestablish the hospital in Gonaives with the support of a Cuban medical team. Médecins Sans Frontières is providing emergency services at the St. Francis de Sales hospital in Port-au-Prince; Catholic Relief Services has launched an emergency programme to meet the food and non-food requirements of

3 children, the elderly and HIV/Aids patients; Save the Children Fund-U.S. is strengthening its existing food, education and health programmes; Church World Service will start delivering food supplies next week.

The Resident Coordinator in the Dominican Republic, with support from UNHCR and OCHA, has developed a contingency plan focused on a potential outflow of Haitians to the Dominican Republic and possible cross-border humanitarian operations into Haiti.

If again, I could draw your attention to the map. (REFER TO MAP 2)

Security permitting, we will open up humanitarian corridors and five regional hubs in Cap Haïtien, Gonaïves, Hinche, Fort Liberté and . We plan to use the following access routes: · One from Port au Prince to Gonaives; · One from Port au Prince to Les Cayes; · One from the Dominican Republic to Fort Liberté and Cap Haitien; · One from the Dominican Republic to Port au Prince.

In this context, we welcome the swift deployment of the Multinational Interim Force (MIF) to facilitate humanitarian activities throughout the country. Mr. Guindo has met with the MIF leadership and reports an excellent spirit of cooperation. He will have another meeting with them today. He has invited them to participate in our humanitarian coordination meetings and they have agreed to exchange liaison officers. We have requested MIF help in ensuring security for health facilities and their rapid deployment to Cap Haitien and securing the roads in the interior.

Finally, we are finalizing a Flash Appeal for Haiti that will be launched early next week both in Port-au-Prince and in New York. The activities outlined in this Appeal are designed to meet the most urgent needs, as outlined above, and set the stage for the

4 medium and long-term rehabilitation of Haiti’s social and economic fabric. I would like to encourage Council members and donors to give strong support to this Appeal.

Mr. President,

In closing I would like to emphasize only three points:

· Humanitarian activities can only be carried out when security is restored to all of these five priority areas;

· Humanitarian activities can only serve as short-term measures and must be accompanied by a broad base set of long-term policies to address the problems of governance and poverty. As the Secretary-General has repeatedly pointed out, the key to Haiti’s recovery, therefore requires a long-term commitment of the international community to addressing this and other underlying causes of the current crisis in Haiti.

· This is necessary if we are to prevent Haiti from falling further into an abyss of misery and deprivation.

Thank you, Mr. President.

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