Minister of State Kitt announces €500,000 in humanitarian assistance for victims of crisis in Haiti

The Minister of State for Development Cooperation and Human rights, Mr. Tom Kitt T.D., today pledged assistance of €500,000 to assist victims of the ongoing crisis in Haiti. The funding will be provided to meet the immediate humanitarian needs of those worst affected by violence and insecurity in the country as well as for recovery efforts once peace has been restored. Minister of State Kitt welcomed the deployment of a UN assessment mission to Haiti on 10 March and said Ireland would provide financial support for the UN’s operations in the country. Minister of State Kitt stated that: “We are working closely with the UN, the Red Cross and other humanitarian partners to meet the urgent needs of the vulnerable Haitian population and to re-establish basic medical facilities and other essential services as soon as possible.” Humanitarian assistance of €100,000 was also announced by Minister of State Kitt for Madagascar, which has been badly affected by a series of tropical cyclones. It is estimated that up to 50,000 people in Madagascar have been made homeless by cyclones since January. Top