In June, the UN secretary general, António Guterres, asked member states to allow him to repurpose $40.5m (£30m) of leftover money to the Haiti cholera fund, which he said could have an “immediate impact in saving lives”.The appeal to reallocate unspent money designated for Haiti in 2015-16 has met with strong resistance from major donors. None of the five UN security council’s permanent members, which includes the US and the UK, approved the proposed funding reallocation. The UN Haiti cholera multi-partner trust fund, which gathered more than $2m, now lies almost empty.Brian Concannon, executive director of the Boston-based Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti (IJDH), said: “We have had conversations with the UK about cholera for years. They have been saying, ‘This is a matter of principle and we need to expect the rule of law.’”“Now that the money is on the table, the fact that the UK is not reallocating it is very concerning. No one else is going to step up.”Concannon, who was in the UK this week to meet the all-party parliamentary group on Haiti, said: “We’re asking the UK to take a leadership role in the UN security council. All the [permanent security council members] spend hundreds of millions of taxpayers dollars on the UN. But the UN is flouting its legal responsibilities towards the people of Haiti on cholera.”The UN only admitted its role in the outbreak last year. Former UN secretary general Ban Ki-Moon issued a carefully worded apology and said that the UN and member states had a “moral obligation” to relieve the Haitian suffering. The agency promised to raise $400m from member states to provide assistance to the Haitian victims. Since the fund was set up, however, only about $2.6m has been collected. The UK has donated $623,000 to this fund. Its share of the unspent $40.5m would be more than double that amount, at $2.3m.The IJDH works with thousands of cholera victims through the Bureau des Avocats Internationaux, a Port-au-Prince based human rights law firm. A lawsuit the groups filed on behalf of 5,000 cholera victims in a New York federal court in 2013 was dismissed by a judge, on the basis of UN immunity. After an appeal, the UN second circuit court of appeals in New York upheld the decision in 2016.Concannon is also working with the US Senate, to mobilise support for reallocating the funds. Democratic and Republican lawmakers have in the past criticised the Obama administration and the UN for failing to ensure Haiti’s victims were helped.Concannon said it was “shameful” the UN couldn’t come up with even a tenth of the amount originally promised. “The underspend idea wasn’t supposed to be the end result, but low-hanging fruit.“People in the UK or the US can forget about people in Haiti, but the people in Haiti cannot forget people in the UK or US.”Mario Joseph, a lawyer with BAI, said: “Imagine what would have happened if the Nepalese had brought the disease to the UK? What would be the reaction here – would there be the same disregard as people have shown the people of Haiti? For that reason alone, the UK should take a leadership role.”A Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesperson said: “The UK recognises the devastating impact that cholera has had on the Haitian people, and we welcome the crucial role the UN is playing to eradicate it. The UK is the fourth largest donor to the UN trust fund, in addition to other contributions to tackling cholera in Haiti.“It is for each UN member state to decide how to use returned unspent peacekeeping funds. We call on all countries to volunteer contributions to the UN trust fund from whatever source is appropriate for them.”By: Karen McVeigh for TheGuardian.com | November 2, 2017
Haitian Gov’t Donates Relief Items To TCI
A LARGE number of generators and building supplies were the latest aid donations received by the Turks and Caicos Islands Government this week.The Haitian government donated 630 generators, 1,000 sheets of plywood, 4,500 tarps, 2,000 sheet rocks and 4,000 metal roof sheets.The donation arrived in Providenciales on October 30, direct from Port au Prince, Haiti.Haitian consulate Adolphe Jacques commented on the donation, stating that the Haitian government was committed to providing assistance to neighbouring Caribbean countries."After the passage of hurricanes Irma and Maria that caused a lot of damage to the TCI, in the spirit of solidarity and fraternity, the Haitian government on behalf of the people of Haiti decided to grant an aid relief consisting of building materials,” he said."It is a simple gesture of support to our neighbour, the TCI, where so many of our compatriots reside and even consider this ‘beautiful by nature’ as their second home.”Coordinator of the initiative Stan Wojewodzki said that his vision was to see Caribbean countries unite and help each other in their times of need.He explained how the donation was made possible."I am currently an advisor to the Haitian presidency, but first and foremost, I am a resident of the Turks and Caicos and I have invested interest in seeing that the Turks and Caicos gets back on its feet immediately after the hurricanes."After both hurricanes, I contacted senior authorities in the Turks and Caicos Islands to ask exactly what was needed in immediate relief aid."The Department of Disaster Management and Emergency Services submitted a list of essentials which I then submitted to the Haitian presidency and suggested that Haiti show a gesture of good will and fraternity to the Turks and Caicos Islands.”He added that time for relief was soon closing, so all that can be done should be done, at a Government level, for those communities that are most in need.But at some point leaders need to sit down and think about what those 21 century policies are going to be, in terms of construction and interregional trade, he said.By Daisy Handfield for Turks and Caicos Weekly News | November 6, 2017
'Shameful': UK and US Under Fire Over Blocked Funds For Haiti Cholera Victims
China, France and Russia also among major UN donors resisting appeal to spend $40m of UN money on victims of cholera epidemic, claim lawyers
Food Vouchers Strengthen Nutrition and Local Markets in Haiti
Each week in southern Haiti, Lucamène Chéry puts on her uniform and stocks her market stall with local vegetables. Shoppers filter past, selecting products for their families. In exchange for the produce, Chéry accepts a unique form for payment—food vouchers—which allows the most vulnerable members of the community to access nutritious foods that they would otherwise be unable to afford.Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and half the country’s population lives on less than $1.25 per day. Heavily dependent on food imports, Haiti remains extremely vulnerable to price spikes in the global food market.The country also remains particularly susceptible to natural disasters, including Hurricane Matthew, which hit in October 2016 and continues to drive elevated levels of food insecurity in the worst-affected communities.Since 2013, USAID has collaborated with the Government of Haiti and CARE to establish a safety net system that boosts household food security, reduces child malnutrition and fosters greater household resilience to shocks. The most vulnerable families in five of Haiti’s 10 departments receive food vouchers, which are redeemable for local foods from vendors like Chéry. The vendors then trade in the vouchers for cash.Chéry is part of a network of nearly 1000 Haitian food vendors who supply local agricultural products—such as fruits, vegetables and tubers—to chronically food-insecure families participating in a USAID-supported program.A mother of five, Chéry previously struggled to afford enough food for her family. Now, with a dedicated customer base in the program, Chéry earns a significantly higher income that allows her to support her family while also investing in her children’s future and expanding her business."I’m able to pay the school enrollment fees for my children without difficulty, and I also raise chickens, turkeys, goats and cows," she says.Chéry also belongs to one of the program’s 1,200 community-led village savings groups. These groups provide more than 35,800 program participants—including more than 26,300 women—financial training as well as access to small loans that can be used to improve their businesses.The increase in business has encouraged Chéry’s husband to become more involved in their food vending business. "Now, he accompanies me when I go buy merchandise and he helps me sell it at the market," says Chéry.Each month, the voucher program provides more than 18,150 food-insecure households with access to healthy foods that they might otherwise be unable to afford. Community-managed programs that distribute information on health, hygiene and nutrition complement the vouchers for food.By relying on local vendors selling local products, the program strengthens markets, encourages the development of the country’s private agricultural sector and fortifies community resilience to shocks.By: USAID | September 26, 2017
Haitian President Backs Paris Climate Accord, Calls On UN To Honor Commitments On Tackling Cholera
21 September 2017 – Addressing the United Nations General Assembly today, Jovenel Moise, President of Haiti, expressed deep commitment to the environmental targets in the global goals on sustainable development and said his island nation is seeking to build its resilience against the natural disasters and extreme weather events that consistently beleaguer its people and other countries in the Caribbean.“My Government is committed to the Paris Agreement on climate change,” Mr. Moise told delegations gathered for the Assembly’s annual general debate, adding that he wished to see those countries most responsible for greenhouse gas production contribute the resources necessary for implementing that accord.In the Caribbean, recent back-to-back extreme weather events had drawn attention to the ways in which climate affects Haiti. “Such weather phenomena are due to the impact of humans on the environment,” he stressed, and noted that in January 2018, when Haiti assumed the presidency of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), it would organize a regional conference aimed at establishing an inter-State commission that would devise a strategy for addressing climate issues, such as the availability of climate insurance.More broadly, he said Haiti has taken steps to consolidate democracy and the rule of law, having made significant efforts to promote development and political stability. Noting that corruption has “infected” and eroded Haiti’s economy, and compromised its political situation, he said it is time that official development assistance (ODA) and domestic resources upheld the interests of the Haitian nation. In the meantime, Haiti’s new leaders are waging an unwavering struggle against corruption.Addressing two phenomena stemming from the UN presence in Haiti – heinous sexual abuse and exploitation by peacekeepers and other personnel, and the cholera epidemic – he said the Organization is morally obliged to provide the recourses to ensure that cholera left the country.Improving Haiti’s health system, including by eradicating cholera, is a Government priority for his Despite some progress, the number of cholera victims stood at 10,000 people and continued to grow. Further, there were tens of thousands of cholera orphans. The United Nations must live by and give tangible form to its noble ideals, including the announced ‘new approach’ to dealing with cholera, he stressed, by shouldering all its responsibilities to remedy the situation, which had caused grave harm to the Haitian people.Full statement (in French) available hereBy: UN News Centre | September 21, 2017
Union Urges Trump to Save Immigrants With Temporary Protections
A Las Vegas union is hoping to save thousands of immigrants from deportation Tuesday by urging President Donald Trump to extend their protected status.The Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program allows foreign nationals to stay in the country legally if they are unable to return to their home country safely. The protected status for 320,000 immigrants is set to expire at the end of this year. The Culinary Workers Union Local 226 believes the deadline should be extended.Local 226 held a press conference to make its case for why the protection should be extended. The union argues that it wouldn’t be right to force immigrants out after they have spent years building lives in the U.S. The union is urging the president and local lawmakers to extend the program until a pathway to citizenship can be implemented.“The Culinary Union has been on the front line fight for these immigrants,” Local 226 treasury secretary Geoconda Argüello-Kline said during the press conference. “They live here; they pay their taxes; they work really hard. They want to be citizens of this country.”House Reps. Jacky Rosen and Ruben Kihuen joined the press conference in support of the union push. Both representatives are Democrats from the state of Nevada. They urged Republican Sen. Dean Heller to also support the extension with so many participants in their state.Local 226 notes that many of the immigrants at risk have been here for almost three decades. They have worked in the country and become a part of their community. They have raised children who only know how to be Americans. Local 226 is working alongside its national affiliate, Unite Here, to bring attention to the issue.The TPS program currently includes immigrants from El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. Unite Here has specifically focused on the 50,000 Haitians that have a protected status. The union argued those immigrants still don’t have a safe home to go back to.Unite Here organized protests and launched a petition to bring national attention to the issue. The union also joined forces with other advocates like the Haitian Women of Miami and the Florida Immigrant Coalition. The union has argued that the statutes should be extended until pathways to citizenship are developed for them.The Trump administration announced May 22 that the program would be extended for the Haitians. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the six-month extension just a day before it was set to expire. The Haitians have lived in the country since their homeland was hit by an earthquake seven years ago.“After careful review of the current conditions in Haiti and conversations with the Haitian government, I have decided to extend the designation of Haiti for Temporary Protected Status for a limited period of six-months,” Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said in a statement. “Haiti has made progress across several fronts since the devastating earthquake in 2010.”Unite Here and other critics expressed dissatisfaction with the extension when it was announced. The union argues that the ideal would be to extend the program until the government develops pathways so they can stay permanently. The union says they have been here too long to send them back now.Trump has promised to better enforce immigration law, and pursue policies that protect domestic workers from unfair foreign competition. The administration has said it will prioritize criminal aliens for deportation, but critics have expressed concern the administration will pursue mass deportation, which would include illegal immigrants that are otherwise acting lawfully.Unite Here represents 270,000 members across the hotel, gaming, food service, manufacturing, textile, distribution, laundry, transportation, and airport industries. The union, in general, has been a vocal supporter of a more open immigration system.By: Connor D. Wolf | August 22, 2017
President Moïse honors and decorates the Ambassador of Canada
Monday at the National Palace, President Jovenel Moïse, held a farewell ceremony in honor of Canadian Ambassador Paula Caldwell St-Onge at the end of the mission.During the ceremony, which was attended by Antonio Rodrigue, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and representatives of the diplomatic corps, the Head of State expressed his satisfaction to the Canadian diplomat for her dynamism and high contribution to strengthening relations between Canada and Haiti during her mission in the country.At this ceremony, Ambassador Paula Caldwell St-Onge was decorated by the Head of State of the National Order of Honor and Merit, at the rank of Grand Cross Silver Plate.HL/ HaitiLibre
Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn Help Raise Money for Haiti
Leonardo DiCaprio bid on, and won, a VIP soccer experience with Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo at the first-ever Haiti Takes Root gala at Sotheby’s on Friday night. The event, which benefited Sean Penn’s J/P Haitian Relief Organization, also boasted some other one-of-a-kind experiences, including a five-star meal in New York City with Bill Clinton, Penn, and DiCaprio. In addition, artworks by Deborah Kass, Ed Ruscha, Thomas Houseago, and Jonas Wood were auctioned. Andy Cohen was hoping to pick up some art for his digs.“I’ve been on a little bit of an art tear lately,” Cohen divulged “I bought some lithographs from Christie’s and Sotheby’s at their last two sales, and I bought something at Frieze today. I just renovated my apartment, so this is my moment.” The Bravo star sported a five o’clock shadow that he put down to the fact that he didn’t have to tape an episode of Watch What Happens Live that evening.“I have to shave for the show every night, so any night that I don’t have to, I don’t,” he explained, before helpfully noting that he was wearing a purple suit, which was meant to offset the stubble.Donna Karan, who has her own Haitian charitable project, said, “We’re doing it together. You can’t take on this country. You need a posse. We’re part of the posse.”And as for why Karan is so committed to Haiti, she exulted, “I love Haiti. Love, love, love Haiti. The people are magnificent. They have such quality. They’re all artisans, they all have such potential . . . the energy in Haiti is amazing.”The designer revealed that she has started a school there with Parsons School of Design, and Rihanna has just signed up to do a project together.“We’re creating products, giving them jobs,” she said. “Instead of giving them money, you’ve got to give them fishing rods, and the one thing about them is that they’re all creative.”Also in attendance were Penn, Naomi Campbell, Ellie Goulding, and Gayle King. The evening finished with a spirited performance of “Rise Up” by Andra Day, which got the crowd on their feet. By NICKI GOSTIN MAY 8, 2017
Sean Penn and His Famous Friends Hit New York City for Haiti Takes Root Charity Event
Sean Penn is an actor that keeps on giving....On Friday night, the Oscar winner and some of his Hollywood insider friends, Dreamworks SKG's David Geffen and Creative Artists Agency's head honcho Bryan Lourd, will be hosting the Haiti Takes Root event at Sotheby's in New York City.The dinner and auction, which will be emceed by Gayle King, is to support Penn's charity, the J/P Haitian Relief Organization. The charity hosts an annual gala in Los Angeles, but this will is the first time Penn will be taking his cause to the Big Apple.The benefit intends to help the organization's movement to reforest and rebuild Haiti. Tickets start at $5K and there will be a live auction, which features works of art by Ed Ruscha, Henry Taylor, Deborah Kass, Thomas Houseago and Jonas Wood. Audra Day and Damien Rice will be performing at the star-studded event.The live auction has a slew of VIP experiences, including a soccer experience with Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo, a trip to Monaco for the Grand Prix, an art and culinary trip to Denmark with Noma chef René Redzepi, and a private tour and dinner at James Turrell's Roden Crater, led by Michael Govan, CEO and Wallis Annenberg Director, at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.