PORT – au – PRINCE, 17 January 2010: Touching down in the capital of Haiti, which was devastated by this week’s catastrophic earthquake, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Sunday pledged the United Nations’ support for the victims of the disaster.
The UN “will continue to stand behind the Haitian people,” Mr. Ban said in Port-au-Prince, the city hardest hit by the 12 January tremors, which are believed to have impacted one third of Haiti’s 9 million people.
Addressing reporters in the capital, the Secretary-General outlined three top priorities.
Firstly, he underscored the continued need for the search-and-rescue effort. Dozens of teams – comprising over 1.000 people – are on the ground trying to save survivors trapped under rubble.
A staff member, Jens Kristensen of Denmark, was pulled alive from the rubble of the Christopher Hotel Sunday.
Also essential, Mr. Ban stressed is emergency relief, including food, water and tents, and these supplies are being distributed to those in need by the UN and its partner agencies.
“Third, and most important, coordination” of the emergency operation is vital, he noted.
– The situation is overwhelming, he said, and added: And the offer of assistance is also very moving and overwhelming.
The airport still not operating at full capacity, but “we need to make sure our help is getting to people who need it, as fast as possible,” the Secretary-General, who plans to brief the Security Council Monday on his visit, said. – We cannot waste one minute, one dollar or one person.
