PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti, CMC – The European Union has released €9 million in humanitarian aid in response to the deteriorating food and nutrition situation in the French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member state.
The EU, says the humanitarian aid will cover the basic food and nutritional needs of more than 130,000 people living in the worst-affected areas.
“For the EU, the humanitarian situation in Haiti is not a forgotten crisis We are committed to providing vital support to the people hit by the food and nutrition crisis in the country. This assistance comes on top of the €12 million allocated in 2018 to address the urgent food and nutrition needs of Haitians,” said Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, Christos Stylianides.
The funds provided will benefit families living in the areas worst affected by the crisis and children suffering from acute malnutrition.
Life-saving nutritional support will also be provided to over 5,000 children under the age of five who are suffering from acute malnutrition.
In parallel, the EU says it will also back measures to strengthen the analysis of the food situation and to improve the quality of the humanitarian response.
The European Commission’s humanitarian assistance pays special attention to victims of forgotten crises, such as severe, protracted humanitarian crises where the people affected do not receive sufficient international aid, as is the case in Haiti.
Haiti is the main beneficiary of the European Commission’s humanitarian aid to Latin America and the Caribbean, having received €404 million in support since 1994.
In recent months, the humanitarian situation in Haiti has deteriorated dramatically and the country is facing serious food shortages.
The EU states that between 2018 and 2019, the number of people in crisis situations or facing food emergencies doubled to 2.6 million.
Furthermore, the prevalence of acute malnutrition among children under the age of five remains high, and above the World Health Organization (WHO) emergency levels in several locations.
