The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says worsening violence and displacement continue to drive dire humanitarian needs across Haiti, where millions are now facing extreme hardship.
Speaking at the UN’s daily press briefing on Wednesday, spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and its partners have screened over 217,000 children for acute malnutrition since January. Of that number, more than 21,500 children have been admitted for treatment of severe acute malnutrition — nearly 17 percent of the 129,000 children projected to need life-saving care this year.
“Our humanitarian colleagues also warn that insecurity continues to constrain the humanitarian response, leading to access challenges, supply shortages and the closure of health facilities,” Dujarric said.
According to the latest figures from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), an estimated 5.7 million people — more than half of Haiti’s population — faced high levels of acute food insecurity between March and June.
But the crisis goes beyond nutrition. Haiti’s children are also grappling with a growing education emergency. As of mid-July, more than 1,600 schools were closed — a jump of over two-thirds since the start of the year.
“Our humanitarian colleagues warn that without access to education, children, of course, are more vulnerable to exploitation and recruitment by gangs,” said Dujarric. He noted that UNICEF has provided learning opportunities to more than 16,000 children — including those displaced — and delivered mental health and psychosocial support to over 100,000 children.
Still, Dujarric said the scale of support falls far short of what’s needed. “Our humanitarian colleagues also reiterate that a lack of funding is significantly limiting our capacity to address the crisis. Haiti remains, as I have said here many times, the least funded of our underfunded country appeals globally,” he said.
Despite being more than halfway through the year, less than nine percent of the US$908 million required for humanitarian operations in Haiti has been received.
