Haiti earthquake: UN appeals for support of UN emergency fund

Salina Christmas

Last updated 20/01/2010 20:32:03

Following the January 12 earthquake in Haiti, the United Nations Foundation has committed $1 million towards the most urgent humanitarian and reconstruction needs.

The Foundation is also calling on its partners and friends to add their support by contributing to the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), which is the UN’s humanitarian fund responding to emergencies like the earthquake in Haiti.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with those affected by the catastrophic earthquake in Haiti last night.  We offer condolences to the families of those Haitians, UN peacekeepers and other international staff who have suffered tremendous losses,” said the UN Foundation founder and chairman Ted Turner in a statement.

UN staff including Hedi Annabi, Head of the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), are missing following the collapse of the UN headquarters building. 

The MINUSTAH, a peacekeeping initiative, comprised of over 9000 international forces. It has been in place since the mid-1990s to enhance stability in the country.  Turner said that “UN peacekeepers now face the difficult transition to aid in the search, rescue and recovery efforts in the country, while confronting major personal losses of friends and colleagues”.

“The UN Foundation and Vodafone Foundation are also supporting the immediate deployment of two emergency response teams who will work to rebuild the communications infrastructure crippled by the earthquake.  These teams, from the World Food Programme and the UN partner Télécoms Sans Frontières, are deploying to provide emergency communications systems that will enable relief workers to coordinate the delivery of life-saving aid and supplies.”

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