Haiti Emergency Situation Report No. 29 (as of 18 July 2024)

This report is produced by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Haiti in collaboration with humanitarian partners. It covers the humanitarian situation in the country from 8 to 18 July 2024.

HIGHLIGHTS

• OCHA, ECHO, UNICEF and the Humanitarian Coordinator are pleading for more attention to the humanitarian crisis in Haiti.
• Between 2 and 2.5 million people will need food assistance until at least January 2025, according to the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS Net).
• About 300,000 displaced women and girls lack access to protection and basic services according to a UN Women, IDEJEN and REGAH study.
• Humanitarian needs assessment mission in Léogâne and humanitarian access in Bas-Artibonite.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

Three senior UN and European Union officials conducted a joint mission from July 9 to 12 with three main objectives - responding to the humanitarian emergency, ensuring that aid is based on sustainable solutions and increasing humanitarian funding for the current year. During this mission, the delegation also gathered information about the humanitarian crisis and the response from Haitian authorities and humanitarian partners.

During their visit to Port-au-Prince, Gonaïves, and Les Cayes, the delegation spoke with displaced people, farmers (including "madan sara"), and children to hear their testimonies and understand the impact of the violence on their lives. Accompanied by Humanitarian Coordinator Ulrika Richardson, the team included Edem Wosornu, OCHA Director of Operations and Advocacy, Lucia Elmi, UNICEF Director of Emergencies at UNICEF, and Andrea Koulaimah, the Director for Latin America and the Caribbean at the Directorate-General for Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations of the European Commission (DG ECHO).

They discussed lasting solutions for those affected by the humanitarian crisis with the Prime Minister, Haitian officials, and other national and international partners. Following the visit, the delegation hosted a meeting with more than a dozen donors on 19 July to share the mission's conclusions and strengthen advocacy for the Haitian Humanitarian Fund.

This multidimensional crisis affects all key sectors, including food security. According FEWS Net’s latest note, food inflation has been at 40 per cent since June and could continue until September 2024, partly due to supply chain disruptions caused by insecurity. Despite expectations of seasonal improvements, low-income households still face major challenges in meeting their food needs. Emergency food assistance remains insufficient, covering less than four per cent of the total population from January to March 2024. FEWS Net also reported that between 2 and 2.5 million people will need food assistance at least until January 2025.

Security instability fuels sexual violence, especially against women and girls. A report by UN Women, in collaboration with the Organization Initiative for the Development of Youth Outside of Schools (IDEJEN) and the Network for Gender Equality in Humanitarian Action in Haiti (REGAH), reveals that 300,000 displaced women and girls in Haiti live in precarious conditions without access to basic social services. The report shows that over 88 per cent of women surveyed in the six largest sites for internally displaced people (IDPs) in Port-au-Prince have no income. Consequently, more than 10 per cent of them have resorted to negative coping mechanisms, such as prostitution, to meet their needs. Nearly 70 per cent of the women surveyed said the increase in violence has mentally affected them. Only 10 per cent reported having access to health services in IDP sites. The report recommends immediate protection for women and girls, an increase in basic social services, and a leading role for Haitian women's organizations in managing these overcrowded displaced sites, where thousands of women and girls face daily threats to their lives.