Attachments
Highlights
-
In the second half of 2022, humanitarian needs in Haiti have increased: the paralysis of the country following gangs taking over fuel terminals for over two months and limiting access to fuel for all actors, a cholera outbreak since October, continued protests, looting of humanitarian warehouses – including UNICEF’s second warehouse in the Sud department – and persistent gang violence and protection risks. Return to school was delayed to the end of November, and schools are only opening at a gradual rate, leaving hundreds of thousands still without access to education for the 2022-2023 school year. Reports of an increase in deportations from the Dominican Republic to Haiti have been made for November and December.
-
Despite the challenging context, UNICEF was still able to deliver across its programmes, notably ensuring over 206,000 people access to safe water; over 86,000 people accessed cholera response supplies including for water purification and soaps; 1,345 children were admitted for treatment of severe wasting across the country; over 32,000 children and caregivers received psychosocial support; while 2,562 unaccompanied and separated children returnees from the Dominican Republic and neighboring countries were provided with a full package of services.
-
UNICEF Haiti revised its 2022 funding needs considering the emerging cholera crisis and is now appealing for US$ 104.3 million to ensure life-saving humanitarian support for women and children in Haiti. However, a month before the end of the year, the 2022 appeal still has a funding gap of 62 per cent.
Funding Overview and Partnerships
In 2022, UNICEF revised its Humanitarian Action for Children (HAC) appeal with the emerging crisis, including the cholera outbreak declared in October 2022, and is appealing for US$ 104.3 million to ensure life-saving humanitarian support for women and children in Haiti. UNICEF expresses its sincere gratitude to all public and private donors for the contributions received. As of 1 December 2022, the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), the Government of France, USAID's Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, GAVI the Vaccine Alliance, and private donors via the Spanish Committee for UNICEF, the Swiss Committee for UNICEF, the French Committee for UNICEF and United States Fund for UNICEF have generously contributed to ensuring UNICEF’s humanitarian response in Haiti.
Given the significant needs, UNICEF received an internal allocation of US$ 3.2 million in flexible global humanitarian thematic (GHT) funds which are allowing for the scale up of the cholera response and the continued response in areas affected by the urban-gang violence. Following the activation of UNICEF’s Level 2 emergency in October 2022, UNICEF enabled its internal loan mechanism, allocating US$3.5 million from its Emergency Programme Fund (EPF) to allow for immediate response which has included the purchasing of urgently needed cholera medical and WASH supplies while starting up fundraising efforts.
However, a month before the end of the year, the Haiti HAC still has a funding gap of 62 per cent (US$64.7 million. Without sufficient additional funding, UNICEF will not be able to ensure critical services, including access to safe water for around 500,000 people.
Situation Overview and Humanitarian Needs
Haiti remains a highly complex country, facing multiple crises concurrently and at high risk/vulnerability to natural hazards. The country remains in a political deadlock, still reeling from the assassination of President Moise on 7 July 2021, with indefinitely postponed elections and a challenged Government with the intensifying gang violence, social unrest and insecurity notably in the capital’s metropolitan areas.
After more than three years with no cases of cholera reported in Haiti, on 2 October 2022, the Ministry of Health (MoH) confirmed two positive cases in the capital Port-au-Prince, prompting the Haitian health authorities to declare an outbreak of cholera. As of 1 December, the MoH reports 12,826 suspected cases, 1,135 confirmed cases and 272 deaths in various communes across ten departments – only two departments remain without confirmed cases: Nippes and Nord-Est. Based on the MoH report, about 40 per cent of the confirmed and suspected cases are female, 60 per cent are male, and 33 per cent are children under the age of ten. With 33 per cent of confirmed cholera cases occurring in children under ten, the impact of the outbreak on the health and nutritional status of children is of concern, particularly in the context of the high food insecurity. According to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification published on 14 October, some 4.7 million people (48 per cent of the Haitian population) are acutely food insecure, a significant increase compared to 2021, especially in the commune of Cité Soleil where a nutritional assessment through mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) showed that 20 per cent of children aged from 6 to 59 months had wasting in April 2022.
More than one year since the 14 August 2021 earthquake, the majority of the 1,250 destroyed schools in the most affected departments of Sud, Grand'Anse and Nippes are yet to be rebuilt, leaving an estimated 300,000 children in non-conducive learning environments and some of them completely deprived of their right to education.
Since the last quarter of 2020, the acts of violence recorded in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area, particularly in Belair, Bas-Delmas, Centre-Ville, Martissant, Cité Soleil, Croix-des-Bouquets and Tabarre continued in 2022. Thousands of households, including children, have been forced to flee these areas for their safety; many are being accommodated in host families who themselves are having to stretch their means to support additional families, and others have had to move to provincial towns. More than 1,700 schools in and around these areas have been closed under pressure from armed groups.
The urban gang violence also continues to have an impact outside Port-au-Prince, presenting operational challenges, as well as safety and security concerns which are resulting in restrictions along the main road to the South. Meanwhile, access to the north through National Roads 1 and 3 is tentatively resuming – though gang activities and insecurity persist. The humanitarian corridor which allowed for lifesaving supplies to reach the South following the 2021 earthquake remains interrupted due to continued gang violence and limited capacity of the Haitian National Police. Transportation of supplies and materials is also being severely hampered due to the blockages at the port and for those that can be received, getting them across the country is challenging due to continued limitations in access to fuel especially outside the Ouest department, causing important delays on the response delivery and high operational costs from providers.
Further, on 17 November, the government relocated 3,000 displaced people from Hugo Chavez Square in Port-au-Prince, some of these families received cash assistance. However, the amount was reportedly limited, and many were still unable to find alternative accommodations or return home, especially to Cité Soleil where gang violence persists. This situation continues to raise protection concerns, particularly for unaccompanied children. UNICEF, IOM and partners remain highly concerned and responding as rapidly to support those displaced.
In November 2022, the situation at the Haiti - Dominican Republic border deteriorated, with increasing numbers of deportations. This situation has challenged state institutions and Haitian civil society organizations in the past months. On the Dominican Republic side, UNICEF is engaging in sustained advocacy with government partners with the aim of improving migration protocols, especially for Haitian children.