The United Nations, together with the Government of Haiti and other partner organizations, on Tuesday launched the 2024 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) for Haiti, which requires US$674 million. The HRP aims to provide food, shelter, health, education and protection services to 3.6 million Haitians over the next 12 months. More than 5.5 million people - including 3 million children - are in need of humanitarian assistance this year as the security situation in the Caribbean country deteriorates.
"Going to school, to the hospital or to the market, cultivating one's field or getting clean water has become an ordeal for millions of Haitians. Stepping outside one's home means risking death from bullets, being kidnapped by armed gangs, or suffering unimaginable violence such as collective rapes," Humanitarian Coordinator Ulrika Richardson said in a statement.
The HRP comes amid a severe protection crisis for millions of Haitians, with January 2024 being the most violent month in the past two years. In total, more than 1,100 people were killed, injured or kidnapped in gang-related violence in January.
In 2023, the country already saw the highest number of murders, kidnappings, lynchings, and sexual assaults in the past five years. More than 313,000 people are currently internally displaced due to violence in the country, figures released in January showed.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 60 percent were displaced in 2023 alone, illustrating a worsening humanitarian situation over the past year. Children make up nearly 55 percent of those displaced - some 170,000.
The spiral of violence has severely disrupted all socio-economic activities and the free movement of people and goods, particularly in the capital, Port-au-Prince. Armed gangs have escalated attacks on hospitals, schools, playgrounds, markets and transportation to alarming levels.
The deteriorating security situation has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis, with basic services on the verge of collapse and more than 40 percent of the population, some 4.35 million people, facing acute hunger. About 1.4 million people are suffering from emergency levels of hunger. Some 276,000 children under five, pregnant and lactating women are at risk of acute malnutrition, including more than 125,000 severe cases.
"While we acknowledge the importance of humanitarian aid in saving lives and reducing suffering, we must recognize that it is not the solution," Richardson said.
"We must continue to invest in a decisive and sustained manner and work together to find dignified and lasting solutions to the structural problems that hinder the daily lives of the Haitian people. Haiti needs solidarity at this crucial moment."
The Haitian Minister of Planning and External Cooperation, Ricard Pierre, called for a synergy of action among all international institutions and local organizations to ensure a harmonious and enduring solution to the crisis. He urged all sectors of humanitarian action to stay the course in order to help the Haitian population permanently overcome this catastrophic situation.
Meanwhile, the violence continues. Since the beginning of February, a number of neighborhoods in Port-au-Prince have been plagued by violence sparked by clashes between gangs, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
In its latest situation report, OCHA said the violence has disrupted economic activities and reduced access to basic social services. Humanitarian access is also a major challenge. Many areas affected by the violence are among the most vulnerable to food insecurity and malnutrition.
While the operations of UN humanitarian agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have also been affected, the International Organization for Migration estimates that nearly 10,000 people were displaced in the first two weeks of February, bringing the total number of people displaced since the beginning of the year to 20,000.
Last year’s Humanitarian Response Plan for Haiti called for US$720 million. As of December, the HRP was only 33 percent funded. In July 2023, the World Food Programme (WFP) announced it has been forced to cut the number of people receiving emergency food assistance in Haiti by 25 percent, due to dwindling funding levels.
Despite limited funding and access constraints due to insecurity, humanitarian agencies and the Haitian government provided at least one form of humanitarian assistance to nearly 2.6 million people in 2023.