Statement by United Nations Development Coordinator, Osnat Lubrani, on the earthquake in Haiti
13 January 2010
Pristina, 13 January 2010 – The United Nations Kosovo Team expresses its deepest concern for the people of Haiti following the major earthquake that struck off the coast of the impoverished Caribbean nation late afternoon of the 12th of January. The United Nations Kosovo Team further expresses its solidarity with the many United Nations colleagues serving in Haiti who have been affected by this crisis.
“This devastating earthquake has hit a country that is the poorest in the Western Hemisphere with 80% of the population living under the poverty line and 54% in abject poverty. This is a tragedy of unfathomable proportions” says Osnat Lubrani, the United Nations Development Coordinator in Kosovo. “Our heart goes out to the people of Haiti and to our UN colleagues. We find some solace in knowing that the United Nations is doing its utmost to ensure swift emergency response to save lives; and to mobilize international response to help the country deal with this crisis”.
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Buildings and infrastructure in Port-au-Prince suffered extensive damage, while basic services, including water and electricity are near the brink of collapse. The full extent of casualties, which could number in the hundreds, is still unknown.
The UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) in Port-au-Prince has sustained serious damage along with other UN installations, and a large number of UN personnel remain unaccounted for, according to latest information from UN Headquarter.
MINUSTAH was set up in 2004 and currently has more than 9,000 military and police personnel and nearly 2,000 civilian staff.