By Caribbean News Global
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – The crisis in Haiti continues to deteriorate as violence escalates across the country. According to the UN human rights office on Friday, between January and September of this year nearly 4,900 people have been killed.
More than 700,000 people are displaced in the country – over half of whom are children – with recent violence in the capital Port-au-Prince displacing another 12,000 people in recent weeks.
Food insecurity is at an all-time high, affecting half of Haiti’s population, or approximately 5.4 million people.
“For the first time since 2022, we are seeing pockets of famine-like conditions in some areas where displaced people are living,” highlighted Associate Spokesperson Stephanie Tremblay.
Despite these challenges, UN agencies and partners continue to deliver humanitarian assistance. In the first half of 2024, around 1.9 million people received some form of relief, including food and cash.
Since the end of February, thousands of hot meals and hundreds of thousands of gallons of water have been distributed to displaced people in the capital.
To curb Haiti’s growing needs, the $684 million Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan has been launched, but it remains only 43 percent funded.
‘Haitians want to be able to live, not just survive’ says UN humanitarian coordinator
WFP joins the Global Alliance against hunger and poverty as founding member
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) announced Friday that it has joined the Global Alliance against hunger and poverty as a founding member. The Global Alliance, an initiative of Brazil’s G20 Presidency, aims to accelerate action towards achieving of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 1 – no poverty – and 2 – zero hunger.
The Global Alliance aims to better align domestic and international support to help countries build and implement programmes and policy instruments that reduce hunger and poverty.
WFP was invited by the Brazilian G20 Presidency to take part in the G20 Task Force which created the founding documents of the Global Alliance. The UN Food Agency has also worked closely with the Brazilian G20 Presidency and other International Organizations to establish the Policy Basket that lies at the heart of the Global Alliance.
“WFP is proud to be a founding member of the Global Alliance, and we applaud the Brazilian G20 Presidency for shining a global spotlight on the issues of poverty, hunger and malnutrition, which are deeply connected. We will work closely with partner governments to design and implement programs that tackle hunger and bolster long-term food security, with a strong focus on school meals, nutrition, social protection and resilience,” said WFP executive director Cindy McCain. “Partnerships and Innovation are the twin engines of the Global Alliance, and they will fuel our shared progress as we accelerate global efforts to tackle hunger and poverty.”
For the minister of social development and assistance, family and fight against hunger in Brazil, Wellington Dias, the Alliance is a practical mechanism that will provide the necessary impetus to mobilize existing funds and mechanisms. It will better organize them around two principles: the focus on the most vulnerable and the consistent implementation of national policies.
“Only through partnerships and cooperation will we be able to eradicate hunger and poverty on the planet. We are honored to have the World Food Programme, Brazil’s long-time partner, joining the Global Alliance. As a founding member, WFP will play a fundamental role in the success of this initiative and further advance collective efforts towards SDGs 1 and 2”, said Wellington Dias.
WFP is also working closely with the Brazilian G20 Presidency on a Digital Hub so the Global Alliance can efficiently put into action requests from governments for support with the implementation of policies and programmes aimed at reducing hunger and poverty.
“The Global Alliance’s Digital Hub is an innovative effort to help reverse the negative trends around SDG 1 and 2 in recent years. With it we hope to accelerate action towards achieving the 2030 Agenda,” said Stanlake Samkange, WFP’s Director for Multilateral and Programme Country Partnerships. “WFP is pleased to be able to offer our technological know-how to advance the transparency, effectiveness, and efficiency of the Global Alliance and to help stakeholders match government requests for support with the relevant knowledge and financial partners.”
