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Re-visiting Haiti, UN chief promises world has not forgotten
On his second visit to Haiti since the devastating earthquake struck the country in January, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon surveyed the progress the UN and its partners have made in providing relief to the million plus people in need.
Ban Ki-moon in Haiti
Mr. Ban met with President René Préval and Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive to discuss Haiti's future. After touring a camp housing tens of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs), he told journalists in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince that shelter remains the most urgent priority:
"The most urgent challenge right now is shelter, shelter - coupled with sanitation. At this moment, we have supplied tents and tarpaulins to approximately 60 per cent of the 1.3 million people in need. We aim to reach everyone by the end of April."
More than a million people remain homeless as the transition from emergency relief to early recovery and reconstruction begins. Mr. Ban warned that with the rainy season upon us, and the hurricane season starting in June, humanitarian workers are racing to house the homeless.
Mr. Ban said Haiti also needs urgent funds for schools, roads, power and other forms of infrastructure. He said for the foreseeable future, the government will need international assistance simply to cover its payroll - teachers, police, doctors and nurses, civil servants and basic services.
The Secretary-General said he hoped the international community would respond generously as it has already done when the international donors conference is held in New York on the 31st of March.
The flash appeal from the UN and its aid partners, revised to $1.4 billion, is so far only 49 per cent funded.
Expressing hope and solidarity with Haitians, Mr. Ban assured them that the world has not forgotten and is always at their side.
Diane Bailey, United Nations
Duration: 23"
