UN envoy urges security council to act on ‘humanitarian catastrophe’ in Haiti

On Monday, speaking at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Haiti’s envoy, Helen La Lime said that the county is facing a “humanitarian catastrophe” and the officials have reached “new levels of desperation”. This comes amid the island nation facing two weeks of violence and looting of millions of dollars worth of humanitarian aid.

“An economic crisis, a gang crisis, and a political crisis have converged into a humanitarian catastrophe. We must not lose hope, but rather combine our efforts to find a pathway to a better tomorrow,” said UN Special Representative Helen La Lime.

The country has been amid widespread looting and protest since September 11 when the incumbent Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced a hike in fuel prices and a reduction of $400 million in fuel subsidies.

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The looting has caused the loss of at least $6 million worth of relief assistance, including 2,000 tons of food, which would have supported up to 200,000 “most vulnerable Haitians” over the next month, said Helen La Lime. However, prior to the civil unrest, at least 4.9 million Haitians were in need of humanitarian assistance. This loss also comes amid hurricane season in the region.

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Meanwhile, gang violence has continued to disrupt daily life and cause at least 20,000 people to flee from their homes. The UN envoy speaking from the capital Port-au-Prince said, “the first necessary step to address the current crisis. To support Haitians in their effort towards a better future, this Council must take urgent action.”

She also indicated that the Varreux fuel terminal has been a “stage of siege” in Port-au-Prince as it has been blocked by one of the largest gang alliances for over a week now. According to the UN, the economic crisis caused food prices to soar, while fuel is only available on the black market.

The situation is worsening with fuel shortages that have nearly stopped the country’s functioning and even forced some hospitals to shut down, said the UN envoy. On the political front, La Lime said that their efforts have led to a “perceived stalemate”, however, the national stakeholders are trying again with a “renewed sense of urgency”.

“In the past weeks, Government representatives, political groups, and civil society organizations launched new consultations on ways to forge a wider consensus on a path to elections. But we’re not there yet,” said the UN envoy.

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The country’s foreign minister Jean Victor Geneus, who was also present at the council, said that fuel shortages have forced Haiti’s largest industrial park, Caracol, to shut which would lead to the loss of 12,000 jobs. He added that private companies in the island nation are expected to leave by Monday and they don’t know if the schools can be reopened after they have already postponed them till October 3.

Furthermore, this insecurity has made it “very difficult and dangerous” to supply humanitarian aid, said WFP deputy executive director, Valerie N. Guarnieri. She added, “We expect food security to further deteriorate this year, surpassing the record high of 4.5 million people estimated to face crisis or worse levels of acute food insecurity, including 1.3 million people in emergency.”

Guarnieri also went on to urge increased support from the member nations to facilitate humanitarian access to Haiti while also calling for the protection of “humanitarian actors, personnel and assets.”

(With inputs from agencies)