Monday January 15, 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO), during the online launch of its global health emergency appeal, classified the crisis in Haiti at level 3, the highest level on the scale of the UN organization.

In the regional panorama, Haiti represents the most serious crisis in the Americas region. As the country continues to battle a cholera outbreak since its re-emergence in October 2022, the humanitarian situation has rapidly deteriorated in 2023 with worsening insecurity and gang violence and an alarming increase in kidnappings, of murders and sexual violence, which are reaching unprecedented levels.

This prompted the Emergency Relief Committee (ERC) to activate a System-wide Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) scale-up to bolster humanitarian presence and response in Haiti, automatically reclassifying the crisis as a WHO Grade 3 Emergency - the highest on WHO´s scale. Escalating violence in the country has prevented access to healthcare, disproportionately affecting vulnerable communities, and deeply hindered the capacity of health institutions and partners to provide a comprehensive emergency response.

During the online launch for WHO's Emergency Appeal on January 15, Dr. Oscar Barreneche, PAHO/WHO Representative in Haiti declared "The glimmer of hope comes with the adoption of the UN Security Council resolution 2699, which authorized a specialized multinational Mission to support the Haitian National Police in restoring stability in the country. The Mission is expected to start during the first quarter of 2024. PAHO/WHO is supporting Haiti's Ministry of Health with preparations for the mission and is facilitating the coordination with partners within the health cluster for the provision of the overall humanitarian response."

HL/ HaitiLibre