Other conflicts having captured the world’s attention, Haiti, which is experiencing the greatest humanitarian crisis in its recent history, is struggling to attract attention. The pearl of the Antilles, however, needs help more than ever, since its humanitarian response plan is less than 30% funded, says Jean-Martin Bauer, director of the World Food Program (WFP) for Haiti.
“In humanitarian terms, the situation is, currently in 2023, the worst that the country has experienced since the earthquake in 2010,” underlined Mr. Bauer, in an interview with Duty as part of a Quebec tour. Certainly, Haiti often faces crises, he recognizes. “But this year, it’s not the usual crisis, it’s worse. Something has been broken in the country lately. »
After the earthquake, the optimism that existed regarding the possibility of rebuilding the country completely evaporated, adds the head for Haiti of this important UN agency. “We are in a situation of despair. »
Mr. Bauer recalls that the United Nations humanitarian appeal for Haiti this year is for $719 million, to help 5.2 million people in need, figures unprecedented in the last ten years. But faced with the conflicts in Ukraine, Sudan and Gaza, donors seem to have looked the other way. “The needs in Haiti are sometimes lost in the hubbub,” he noted.
“We came close to starvation”
According to him, the situation is nevertheless “critical” in Haiti, a country which is ranked among the ten most serious food crises in the world. Nearly 4.5 million Haitians — or 45% of the population — are in a situation of acute food insecurity, including a million more since the hurricane. Matthew, end of 2016. “And the situation is further deteriorating,” argued the director of PAM-Haiti.
A year ago, in Cité Soleil, in Port-au-Prince, the difficulty of eating was such that the country almost fell into a situation of famine, on the 5the and last level of the food insecurity scale. “Families could go entire days without eating,” explained Mr. Bauer, who visited the site at the time. “Instead of meals, we boiled hot water with salt. »
He cites the latest survey by the Ministry of Health and UNICEF showing that the malnutrition rate has exceeded 10%, and even 15%, particularly in certain areas of Port-au-Prince controlled by armed groups. “I worked in the Sahel for a long time, and these figures are the equivalent of what we found in Mali, Niger or Burkina Faso, but it is here, in the Americas, a 90-minute flight from Miami. So let’s ask ourselves the question. »
Mr. Bauer does not want to send an entirely pessimistic message. He says his organization of 300 people, 80% of whom are Haitians, is making things happen on the ground through an approach aimed at stimulating the economy by doing business with local businesses and agricultural cooperatives, many of which are led by women, he says. One million US dollars were spent on purchasing food products from some 4,000 Haitian producers. “We no longer have [autant] need to source elsewhere. »
Very real violence
The fact remains that the food crisis is itself fueled by an unprecedented level of violence, recognizes Jean-Martin Bauer, with part of the territory of Haiti being controlled by armed groups. “It’s an ongoing risk,” he said. Last year, WFP offices were vandalized, looted and burned. “Fortunately, no one was injured, but the psychological impact was major,” he continued.
Trucks that supply the various regions of the country with foodstuffs sometimes have to bypass roadblocks on land routes by passing through the sea, using ferries. In some areas, aid is no longer delivered at all, due to attacks and kidnappings along the way. “It was mainly women, they are the ones who drive the food trade. One of them was raped,” reports Mr. Bauer, whose organization manages humanitarian transport by helicopter to the four corners of the country.
And the violence is such that its organization often has to compete with imagination. In Cité Soleil, where storing food is impossible due to the possibility of looting, a day kitchen, where thousands of hot meals are prepared, is set up outside the community. “We load vans and deliver meals to each child in the schools, sometimes even in wheelbarrows,” explains Mr. Bauer.
Haiti needs its friends
The UN Security Council recently adopted resolutions authorizing the deployment of a multinational security support mission for democratic elections and to renew sanctions against all those who support violence in Haiti. “Hunger is the breeding ground for violence. We are heading into huge problems if we do not address the fact that people have difficulty eating,” warns Mr. Bauer, referring to the consequences of this instability across the entire geographical area.
In Quebec all week, the director of PAM-Haiti meets the media, but also the Minister of International Relations and La Francophonie, Martine Biron, to raise awareness and so that “Haiti is not forgotten”. “Quebec has brought together significant resources at the political and economic levels, and your universities, your ideas here can help Haiti take a step in the right direction,” he said. “Haiti is in a situation where it needs all its friends. »