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Secretary-General says while progress has been made in Haiti, the situation remains difficult
Caribbean News Round-Up: a weekly 15-minute news magazine on developments at the United Nations concerning the Caribbean.
Secretary-General in Haiti
"We are beginning the transition from emergency relief to early recovery and reconstruction. But the situation remains extremely difficult". That's what UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said this week during a one-day visit to Haiti. The Secretary-General was in Port- au-Prince to see how much progress has been made since his last visit to the earthquake-ravaged country two days after the 7.0 seismic upheaval.
Haiti to benefit from some of the $20 billion pledged by the Group of 8 Industrialized countries for farmers in poor countries
Woman selling vegetables in Port-au-Prince
The Secretary-General said Haiti needs funds for schools, infrastructure, roads, ports and power, adding that 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. He said the international community has been extraordinarily generous, noting that seldom in history has there been such an out-pouring of support and heart-felt solidarity.
Red Cross/Red Crescent Society says much progress has been made in easing the plight of Haitians
Tent distribution in Port-au-Prince
The Haitian population has demonstrated outstanding resilience and coping capacity and international humanitarian agencies have also proven the impact they can have in a situation like this. The view was expressed by Pablo Medina, a spokesman for the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Red Cross Society - IFRC in Geneva. He said the Red Cross/Red Crescent alone has already distributed some sort of emergency shelter assistance, whether in the form of tents, tarpaulins or shelter materials to over 60,000 families or more than 300,000 people.
Producer: Donn Bobb.
