Port-au-Prince, April 29, 2016 – The European Union is increasing its support to Haiti in 2016 by deploying 21.4 million euros of humanitarian assistance (or 1,508,651,422 gourdes [1]) to fight against the food and nutritional insecurity, cholera and the migratory crisis, as well as 17 million euros (or 1,198,461,410 gourdes [2]) to strengthen long-term food and nutritional security.
“Several types of humanitarian crises continue to affect Haiti, which is why we are maintaining our support for the most vulnerable families in order to strengthen their resilience in the face of recurrent disasters” indicated Christos Stylianides, European Commissioner in charge of humanitarian aid and crisis management.
This new funding will allow the European Union and its humanitarian partners to improve the food security of households most affected by the prolonged drought, aggravated by the influence of the “El Niño” phenomenon. According to the National Food and Nutritional Security Coordination (CNSA), 3.6 million Haitians are acutely food insecure – including 1.5 million severely – while the price of the basic food basket increased by 7% in 2015 The European Union therefore intends:
12.2 million euros to meet the food and drinking water needs of more than 400,000 Haitians,
€ 3 million to strengthen nutritional care capacities in the areas most at risk and
· 1.5 million euros to prepare for the drought affecting the Lower North-West, the Upper Artibonite and the South-East.
These humanitarian resources will also make it possible to continue the fight against cholera, which was rife again in 2015 with 36,045 [3] new cases recorded during the year, an increase of 24% compared to the previous year. This outbreak justifies the mobilization of 4.3 million euros (including an additional envelope of 200,000 euros) to help 1.5 million people in rural areas to better protect themselves against cholera.
The European Union also continues to assist nearly 60,000 Haitians still displaced by the 2010 earthquake, in 36 sites by helping to provide sustainable accommodation solutions, means of subsistence and access to basic water services. , sanitation, hygiene and protection.
Finally, humanitarian aid from the European Union will also help the most vulnerable repatriated or deported people from the Dominican Republic. Since June 2015, some 87,000 people [4] have crossed the border, including more than 1,200 unaccompanied minors. The European Union is therefore allocating 400,000 euros for immediate assistance to people affected by this migration crisis.
“It is also essential to link our emergency humanitarian response to long-term sustainable development initiatives, which the European Union supports in several Haitian departments” added Commissioner Stylianides.
The envelope of 17 million euros of development assistance deployed to strengthen the response to food and nutrition insecurity in the medium and long term, will be used as part of the EU’s resilience action plan in Haiti. . The funded projects will focus on all the measures necessary to sustainably improve the resilience of vulnerable populations to climatic hazards such as the drought that has hit the country so hard over the past two years.
The Ambassador of the European Union in Haiti, Vincent Degert, for his part declared: “Today the European Union sends a new strong message of solidarity with the Haitian population, by deploying a total of more than 38 million euros for the most vulnerable affected by food insecurity, cholera or displacement. Emergency response actions are closely linked to European Union initiatives for the sustainable and inclusive development of Haiti. This allows us to ensure the relay with emergency operations, by subscribing to a longer term vision. ”
Context
Haiti is the main recipient of European Union humanitarian aid in Latin America and the Caribbean, with € 332 million mobilized since 1995 to respond to disasters, such as Hurricane Isaac and Tropical Storm Sandy of 2012 , and 32.5 million for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) actions. Since 2010, aid has focused on the victims of the devastating earthquake and the cholera epidemic, to help strengthen the resilience of the most vulnerable populations.
Under the 11th EDF, the EU will also provide 420 million euros to Haiti between 2014 and 2020. This support will focus on education, state reform, modernization of public administration, development. urban infrastructure and food and nutrition security.
For more information on the European Commission’s humanitarian aid to Haiti, please consult our website, as well as our Info Sheet. For free images on preparing for recurrent natural disasters in Haiti, you can consult the ECHO Flickr account.
CONTACTS
Raphaël Brigandi, Political Affairs and Communication Officer , raphael.brigandi@eeas.europa.eu ,
phone: (509) 29 41 49 49
Noela Bonhomme, Policy and Communication Officer , noela.bonhomme@eeas.europa.eu , tel. : (509) 29 41 49 49
