World News in Brief: $12 million for Haiti, Ukraine airstrikes condemned, support mine action
A $12 million contribution from a UN emergency humanitarian fund will support people impacted by the violence that broke out in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, in March.
“These funds will enable aid partners to reach the hardest hit,” UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths said on Thursday in a post on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
Port-au-Prince has been terrorised by armed gangs, and last month, they tightened their grip following a weekend jailbreak which allowed thousands of criminals to escape.
The allocation from the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) will go towards providing food, water, protection, healthcare, sanitation and hygiene support to displaced people and host communities in the capital and in the neighbouring Artibonite province.
The UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, reported that the situation remains tense, with attacks on healthcare facilities worsening the already dire situation for the people.
On Wednesday, the World Food Programme (WFP) provided 17,000 hot meals to displaced people in Port-au-Prince, and UN migration agency IOM distributed more than 70,000 litres of water in six displacement sites across the metropolitan area.
Meanwhile a $674 million appeal to support overall humanitarian action in Haiti, announced in February, has received only $45 million.
Ukraine: UN condemns fresh airstrikes on Kharkhiv
The UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine has condemned repeated overnight attacks on the northeastern city of Kharkhiv.
Denise Brown was on a mission to the region, the UN said on Thursday.
The strikes reportedly resulted in more than a dozen civilian casualties, including first responders.
Civilian infrastructure was also impacted, with the electricity supply disrupted in several parts of the city.
The UN humanitarian affairs office said aid groups were at the site of the attack since early morning, complementing efforts by rescue workers and municipal services by providing hot meals, emergency shelter material and other assistance.
Rid the world of landmines once and for all: Guterres
Landmines and other explosive ordnance directly threaten millions of people caught up in armed conflict across the world and can contaminate communities for decades even after the fighting stops, the UN Secretary-General said on Thursday.
“Country by country, community by community, let’s rid the world of these weapons once and for all,” António Guterres said in his message to mark the International Day of Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action.
Highlighting the brave mine action personnel serving under the UN flag, he said they work with partners to remove these deadly weapons and ensure that people can travel safely in their communities.
They also provide education and threat assessments to keep both civilians and humanitarian workers safe.
Mr. Guterres called for countries to support the UN Mine Action Strategy and to ratify and fully implement international treaties to prohibit anti-personnel mines, cluster munitions and other explosive remnants of war.