United Nations launches record appeal for Haiti aid
United Nations launches record appeal for Haiti aid
Friday, 19, Feb 2010 01:24
By Ciara Trudeau.
The UN has launched its largest ever appeal for a natural disaster to address the urgent needs of over one million Haitians, following last month's devastating earthquake.
With the rainy season just around the corner, UN officials have become increasingly worried that make-shift camps, which shelter hundreds of thousands of victims, will not withstand the severe rains.
Last night, torrential rains battered thousands of cloth tents, turning the surrounding ground to mud. The prospect of more rain has added urgency to the UN's appeal for further funding.
At almost £930 million, and covering needs for 2010, the record-breaking appeal is more than double the UN's initial request to help quake victims for six months.
United Nations officials said the substantial appeal reflects the scale of the disaster and the outstanding needs of its victims.
Recent figures from the UN's Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reveal approximately two million Haitians require food aid, while more than 1.2 million require emergency shelter and sanitation.
Donors have already pledged £434 million, but £495 million is still needed, according to a spokeswoman for the OCHA.
UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon and his special envoy for Haiti, former US president Bill Clinton, launched the urgent appeal at a meeting yesterday with diplomats from UN member states.
"Before last month's disaster we had a plan for Haiti's long-term development and reconstruction. Our challenge today is to reformulate that plan to help Haitians build back better," Mr Ban said.
Mr Clinton suggested agencies plan a more long-term approach, which would lay a solid foundation for reconstruction.
"We have to move them from living day-to-day to where people are living month-to-month," he said.
The largest natural disaster appeal had previously been for $1.41 billion in the wake of the 2004 tsunami in South East Asia.
Today, a royal navy support ship, containing vehicles, corrugated iron to build shelters and containers of general stores, arrived off Haiti's coast.