Haiti: Humanitarian Situation Report – February 2017

Situation in Numbers

3,200,000 total people affected (OCHA-HNO)

1,100,000 /# of children in need of humanitarian assistance (UNICEF)

1,600,000 /# of adults in need of humanitarian assistance (OCHA-HNO)

41,421 suspected cholera cases and 447 fatalities (MSPP – 1 Jan to 24 Dec 2016) of which approximately 50 children under five years old (UNICEF)

12,000 /# of children in situation of vulnerability (UNICEF, OCHA-HNO)

1,400,000 /# of people in need of WASH assistance (OCHA-HNO)

18,000 /# of children affected by SAM (UNICEF)

Highlights:

UNICEF’s Level 2 emergency designation for the hurricane Matthew response expired at the end of February 2017, which changes some of the “how” but not the “what” of our efforts. Haiti country office continues to address the humanitarian needs of children and their families in areas affected by hurricane Matthew, persistent cholera, border issues, and remaining areas impacted by ongoing drought.

This includes restoring 61 schools, to the benefit of over 21,000 children; engaging with USAID as part of the WASH programming transition from emergency to development, to reach 20 priority communes with improved water systems that will replace the post-hurricane emergency water-trucking; screening of over 18,000 children for malnutrition and treatment of over 700 in hurricane-affected areas; ongoing provision of protection through child-friendly spaces and psycho-social support; and continuing support to cold-chain and vaccination programming in Haiti.

On 24 February UNICEF welcomed the Ambassador of Japan to Haiti, H.E. Yoshiaki Hatta, as the government and people of Japan contributed 295 million Yen (approx. USD 2.6m) toward ongoing efforts combatting cholera and supporting WASH efforts in Haiti. Despite such generosity, Haiti’s cholera efforts remain underfunded and require ongoing, stable and predictable funding to ensure containment and, ultimately, elimination.

Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs

On 7 February, 2017, Mr. Jovenel Moise was formally inaugurated as the President of Haiti, ending a long period of political instability. The overall situation has remained stable, and convoys delivering humanitarian assistance to the hurricane affected areas now require escort only between Les Cayes in the South Department and Jeremie, in Grand’Anse.

A Strategic Assessment mission was carried out in early February, as requested by the UNSC and in line with the current end of mandate of MINUSTAH on 15 April 2017. The mission was to identify the critical needs of Haiti and to recommend options for the future configuration and presence of the UN mission in Haiti. The conclusion of the Assessment mission will be presented to the UN Security Council by 15 March 2017 in order to determine appropriate next-steps.

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