Humanitarian groups warn lack of funding is undermining socio-economic development in Haiti

The United Nations humanitarian groups in Haiti are warning that persistent underfunding for the humanitarian response, amid growing needs and rising violence, means that millions of Haitians are missing out on the essential support they need.

The groups say stepped-up and sustained funding is needed to stem the deepening humanitarian crisis in the country.

“Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that displacement has nearly tripled in the last 12 months, with more than 578,000 people having fled their homes in search of safety. Half of the newly displaced escaped the capital, Port-au-Prince, to the southern part of Haiti,” said Stéphane Dujarric, the spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres.

He said an estimated five million people, “that’s half of the population of Haiti, are not getting enough to eat,” noting that “many lack access to the health care they need with just one in four hospitals in the country still functioning.

“Nearly 1.5 million children have seen their education disrupted over the past school year, while hundreds of thousands of out-of-school children face the risk of being recruited by armed gangs.
“Our humanitarian colleagues warn that without additional funding, Haiti’s humanitarian crisis will only grow even more severe. Eight months into the year, the 2024 humanitarian appeal,– which calls for US$674 million, is just over a third funded, with only US$227 million in the bank,”  Dujarric said.

The spokesman said “This is the same low level of funding that we have seen for the humanitarian response in Haiti over the past five years, in a country where the needs have increased substantially during that period of time.

“Our humanitarian colleagues stress that while additional resources are urgently needed to stem the crisis, it is critical to find sustainable solutions to the humanitarian, development, security and other challenges faced by Haiti,” Dujarric told reporters.

UNITED NATIONS, Aug 23, CMC
CMC/ad/ir/2024

The post Humanitarian groups warn lack of funding is undermining socio-economic development in Haiti first appeared on CNC3.