Ban Ki Moon visited the rubble of the UN Headquarters in Haiti yesterday.. Here is a video of Ban's remarks.
Ban Ki Moon issues a statement confirming the deaths of MINUSTAH chief Hedi Annabi, Deputy mission chief Luiz Carlos da Costa and acting police commissioner Doug Coates.
THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
I am deeply saddened to confirm the tragic death of my Special Representative to Haiti, Hédi Annabi. His Deputy Luiz Carlos da Costa and the Acting Police Commissioner, Doug Coates of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, are also confirmed to have perished.
1) Don’t donate goods. Donating stuff instead of money is a serious problem in emergency relief. Only the people on the ground know what’s actually necessary; those of us in the rest of the world can only guess. Some things, like summer clothes and expired medicines are going to be worthless in Haiti. Other stuff, like warm clothes and bottled water may be helpful to some people in some specific ways. Separating the useful from the useless takes manpower that can be doing more important work.
In response to troubling reports that the UN ordered doctors to leave a field hospital in Haiti (including a front page feature on CNN.com), here's an official statement Dispatch just received:
From the UN Foundation:
Two days after the 7.0 magnitude earthquake devastated Haiti, UN Foundation Vice President of Global Health Dr. Daniel Carucci traveled to Haiti to deliver vital medical supplies and will continue to assess the situation on the ground.
On Tuesday evening, I received a short email from Mark. The message was this:
"massive, 7.0 earthquake in Haiti. really, really devastating"
Mark is an even-tempered and measured guy and I knew that he wouldn't exaggerate the severity of the situation.
In the days since the quake struck, I've tried, like so many millions of people, to do as much as possible to raise awareness, donate money, and help the victims of the Haiti catastrophe.
This note from a World Food Program worker in Haiti, posted to an internal WFP message board (and reprinted with permission, via ), offers some insights into the logistical challenges facing rescue workers. The author's name is Pierre Petry. He is a World Food Program senior ICT specialist with the Fast Information Technology and Telecommunications Emergency and Support Team.
Ban Ki Moon and his spokesperson just briefed the press. The UN has confirmed 37 deaths. 36 of whom were affiliated with the peacekeeping mission, MINUSTAH. One of whom worked for the World Food Program. 330 people are still missing and unaccounted for out of a total UN presence of 12,000.
Meanwhile, Ban Ki Moon said that as many as 50% of buildings in worst hit areas are damaged or destroyed. He said a large proportion of 3 million people are without access to food and water.
By Yolanda Johnny Taylor, Director of Communications for the UN Foundation's Women and Population Program
Tuesday’s earthquake in Haiti reminds us how vulnerable women and children are - particularly in times of disaster. Poor and disadvantaged women tend to be unequally affected by natural disasters and are often overrepresented in death tolls.