Haiti’s destiny ‘bright’ despite terrifying escalation of violence | UN News
Offering Haiti’s young people alternatives to gang life and strengthening local institutions are key for the Caribbean nation to “reclaim its position as a symbol of hope,” according to a senior UN official in the country.
Ulrika Richardson, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Haiti, spoke with UN News about what the United Nations is doing to support the Haitian people.
This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity
UN News: How would you describe the current situation in the country?
Ulrika Richardson: There has been a terrifying escalation of violence in certain parts of Haiti, which is tearing at the very fabric of society. There have been horrific massacres in the last three months of the year both in the capital Port-au-Prince, but also in near-by l’Artibonite.
These brutal acts of dehumanization will only deepen the collective trauma of the Haitian people.
We cannot ignore this reality. We must centre these horrific events in our response, urgently expanding mental health and psychosocial support programmes, and integrating them into our long-term plan for stability.
As the UN we are committed to staying in Haiti to help the most vulnerable people through the current crisis.
We need to protect people currently in extremely vulnerable situations, particularly in Port-au-Prince, where security forces simply do not have the capacity to protect citizens.
This means supporting the hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people.
Families have fled their homes, often multiple times so we can start to imagine the magnitude of the wound they carry, and we must ensure they live in decent conditions.
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