Port-au-Prince, November 05, 2017 - The Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed, along with the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Haiti, Josette Sheeran, concluded a three day visit today, marking a new spirit of partnership between the UN and Haiti, grounded in shared commitment to ensure that Haiti shifts from emergency response to durable solutions, from assistance to investment, from handouts to hand-in-hand cooperation for sustainable development, democracy and dignity for all Haitians.

“The United Nations is committed to supporting the Government of Haiti as they advance towards their 2030 Agenda,” stated the DSG at the press conference closing the visit.

The delegation, accompanied by the newly appointed Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) and Head of the United Nations Mission for Justice Support in Haiti (MINUJUSTH), Ms. Susan Page and the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Resident Coordinator, Humanitarian Coordinator (DSRSG/RC/HC), Dr. Mamadou Diallo, met with Haitians who have fallen victim to cholera, national and local authorities, community members and leaders, as well as members of the diplomatic corps, religious groups and civil society.The Deputy Secretary-General spoke of a new era and a renewed relationship between the UN and Haiti. “We came to Haiti to try to find a new and more meaningful way of doing things, because in the past we have fallen short. Yesterday we visited communities that are still suffering from cholera. In our visit we saw community efforts by women, men and young people—some very young—who are involved in fighting cholera every day on the front lines. They are driving their own solutions, and together addressing the challenges of accessing water and sanitation. We saw this yesterday in Saint-Michel de L’Atalaye, where the community has empowered itself and come up with its own solutions to accessing sanitation by building toilets in many homes and in community spaces, and by supporting people who fall victim to cholera. When they succeed together, even on a small scale, it shows that they and we together can also succeed on a large scale—for all Haitians. They are the real heroes, and we must support them to end cholera in Haiti,” emphasized the DSG.   

“I am heartened in the knowledge that the ability to eliminate the transmission of cholera is within our reach. But, there is no room for complacency. We need to do much more in partnership with the people of Haiti, because the loss of even one life is too many. International donors must  provide immediate funding to maintain the work of Emergency Response Teams and community engagement in the immediate term as well as support to the National Plan to Eradicate Cholera in the medium and long term—this is critical to consolidate our gains and avoid losing the hard fought victories,” concluded the DSG.                

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