UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell's remarks on Haiti at the Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General
UNICEF
As prepared for delivery
29 June 2023
NEW YORK, 29 June 2023 - "Good afternoon,
"Last week, I travelled to Haiti as the UNICEF Executive Director, but also in my role as the Principal Advocate for Haiti for the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, a group of humanitarians, and a designation by the Emergency Response Coordinator, Martin Griffiths.
"I came to listen, to learn, and to help galvanize attention and support for the humanitarian response in Haiti. While there, I met up with WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain to see some of our joint work, and to send our shared message that Haiti is becoming a forgotten crisis.
"I visited Haiti once before in 2010, with then-First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden, after the devastating January 12 earthquake, which left millions in need of humanitarian assistance.
"Upon my return to the country last week, it was with the knowledge that there are now even more Haitian people in need than ever before. Today, an estimated 5.2 million people, or close to half of the entire population, require humanitarian assistance. This includes nearly 3 million children.
"Critically, the institutions and services that children rely on are barely functional, resources are in short supply, and violent armed groups control over 60 per cent of Haiti's capital and parts of the country's primary agricultural areas.
"Meanwhile, international solidarity and support for Haiti has largely faded away in the years since the 2010 earthquake.
"As journalists, you know the headlines from Haiti all too well. Haitians and our team there tell me it's never been worse. Unprecedented hunger and malnutrition, grinding poverty, a crippled economy, resurgence of cholera, and massive insecurity that creates a deadly downward spiral of violence - while flooding and earthquakes continue to remind us all just how vulnerable Haiti is to climate change and natural disasters.
"UNICEF, and our UN and NGO partners, are deeply concerned about the thousands of children caught in the crossfire of violent clashes or recruited and used by the armed groups. In some communities, there are staggering levels of gender-based violence, and rape is being used as a weapon for intimidation and control.
"When I visited a center for survivors of gender based violence located in one of the most dangerous parts of Port-au-Prince, an 11-year-old girl told me in the softest of voices that five men had grabbed her off the street. Three of them raped her. She was eight months pregnant when we spoke - and gave birth just a few days later.
"One woman told me that armed men had barged into her house and raped her. She said her 20-year-old sister resisted so strongly that they killed her by setting her on fire. Then they burned down their house. Three other women shared very similar stories of rape, one in front of her children, and then having their homes burned to the ground.
"I was told that this is part of a new strategy by armed groups. They rape girls and women and they burn their homes to make them more vulnerable and more easily controlled. Because ... if they break the women, then they've broken the foundation of the community.
"But amid the horror is also hope.
"I met Dr. Jean William Pape and Dr. Marie Deschamps and their amazing staff, who face uncertainty every day to help survivors of rape and violence rebuild their lives, while providing health care and education to children.
"I met Stephanie - a displaced young woman who is a community leader taking care of other displaced women and children.
"I met teachers and health workers who are braving the dangers of the streets to show up for work every day to educate and care for the country's children.
"And I met boys and girls in a school who told me that they loved being in class and learning.
"They said they wanted to be doctors, nurses, business owners and one said she wanted to be a pediatrician.
"A 13-year-old-girl, Serafina, told me that she picked doctor as a profession because 'I love when people take care of other people."
"These children are what the parents of Haiti are pinning their hopes on. We should all be doing the same.
"I'm very proud of our humanitarian colleagues - most of them Haitians themselves - who shared with me some of the challenges they face. Many have had to move homes, some multiple times, to find safety from the violence and kidnappings for ransom.
"But they also told me of triumphs, of bringing food, nutrition, health care, safe water and a level of protection to people in need.
"The humanitarian system, including UNICEF, is delivering in Haiti and scaling-up the response. Yet we are far from meeting the growing needs of the Haitian people. At a bare minimum we must have the $ 720 million UN Humanitarian Response Plan for 2023 funded. Right now we've received less than a quarter of what we need.
"So overall there are some specific and urgent steps we must take. These include:
"Providing immediate humanitarian funding and a better response to meet the acute needs of the most vulnerable.
"Ensuring a sustained and coordinated humanitarian effort that is coupled with longer term solutions to rebuild institutions, ensure access to basic services, retore hope and build resilience.
"Undertaking preparedness and resilience-building for the inevitable natural disasters and epidemics.
"Protecting humanitarian actors and humanitarian space.
"Encouraging and supporting the Government to do a better job engaging with the people of Haiti, from the impacted communities to those who have influence to stop the violence. The international community must also support government efforts to strengthen the Haitian National police and the justice system.
"The current situation of insecurity is unacceptable. Women and children are dying. Schools and public spaces should always be safe.
"Collectively the world is failing the Haitian people, and unless we take immediate action, it is hard to imagine a decent future for the population.
"We must restore trust and be better at listening to what the Haitian people say they need.
"When I asked Serafina, our young doctor in-the-making, what she would tell the international community, she said: 'Tell them to love the country and then the country will be fine.'"
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