Government to increase funding to victims of Haiti flooding
The Minister of State for Development Cooperation and Human Rights, Mr. Tom Kitt T.D., today pledged new assistance of €250,000 to victims of tropical storm Jeanne, which has devastated part of the island of Hispaniola, which includes Haiti.
The latest information is that the storm has killed more than 1,000 people and a further 1,000 are missing and it is expected that these figures will rise. The World Food Programme estimates that approximately 175,000 people are without food, water and electricity and in need of urgent help. Aid efforts led by agencies such as the International Red Cross are underway and are assisted by members of the UN peacekeeping mission already in the country. The Irish funding will be utilised to provide shelter, food and other basic needs.
This new funding comes in addition to €600,000 which has already been disbursed since the beginning of the year, to humanitarian agencies operating in Haiti.
Minister of State Kitt said:
“This new storm has caused another humanitarian disaster in a country recovering from civil conflict and earlier flooding last May. We are working closely with the United Nations, the Red Cross family and other humanitarian partners to meet the urgent needs of the most vulnerable Haitian population at this time. We will do our utmost to assist aid agencies to re-establish basic health facilities and other essential services as soon as possible.”
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Note for Editors
Funding in response to the humanitarian disaster in Haiti is being disbursed from the emergency humanitarian assistance budget of Development Cooperation Ireland, the official assistance programme of the Government. Funding will be channelled through key partner NGO’s and International Agencies which have the capacity on the ground to deliver aid to the most needy. Development Cooperation Ireland has previously funded UNICEF, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, World Vision and the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) for emergency relief programmes in Haiti. In addition to providing emergency funding to the IFRC, Development Cooperation Ireland has a partnership programme aimed at building the capacities of local Red Cross Societies to respond effectively at local level to emergencies. In addition, funding of €480,000 has been disbursed in 2004 by Development Cooperation Ireland to NGO’s Concern and Trócaire for longer term development programmes in Haiti.
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