Haiti Emergency Situation Report No. 24 (as of 23 May 2024)

This report is produced by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Haiti in collaboration with humanitarian partners. It covers the humanitarian situation in Port-au-Prince following the violence that broke out on 29 February. The report covers the period from 17 to 23 May 2024.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Humanitarian actors are sounding the alarm regarding the low level of access to health services and care in the country. In Port-au-Prince, only 20 per cent of health facilities are functioning normally.
• Since 18 May, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has facilitated the delivery of 38 tons of humanitarian aid, including essential medical products, via an air bridge supported by European Union (EU) and operated by the World Food Programme (WFP) from Panama to Cap-Haïtien.
• The education of nearly 200,000 children in Port-au- Prince and the Department of Artibonite remains disrupted by the closure of 900 schools, mainly due to persistent insecurity.
• More than 37,000 children in Port-au-Prince have benefited from WFP school meals since 1st March.
• The Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) is 20 per cent funded, a three per cent increase from the previous week.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

Limited service at Port-au-Prince International Airport is affecting the mobility of people, humanitarian partner activities and the delivery of relief stocks in the country. Since the reopening of the airport on 20 May, two and a half months after closing due to violence at the hands of armed groups, only one airline has resumed commercial flights. Currently, several dozens of containers loaded with humanitarian supplies remain blocked at Port-au-Prince port. Humanitarian organisations urgently need access to the port and use maritime transport services to retrieve containers unimpeded.

Access to health services and care in Port-au-Prince is critically low, with only 20 per cent of health facilities operating normally. Medical infrastructures are operating at reduced capacity due to persistent insecurity, lack of financial resources and chronic understaffing. The replenishment of medical supplies at health facilities in Port-au-Prince and the rest of the country is delayed by the prolonged irregular operations of the international airport and seaport. With the rainy season and worsening weather, the risks of waterborne diseases like cholera are only increasing, especially in internally displaced people (IDPs) sites. To address this, humanitarian partners delivered medical supplies and other essential humanitarian items from Panama to Cap-Haïtien via an EU-funded air bridge last week. However, more medical supplies are needed for health facilities in Port-au-Prince and other parts of the country.

Since July 2023, nearly 900 schools have closed due to insecurity in the Ouest (more than 800) and Artibonite departments. This situation is affecting nearly 200,000 students and 4,000 teachers. Without access to education, a generation of children living in violence-prone areas risks growing up without the skills needed for a peaceful future and the country's socio-economic development. Additionally, 35 of the 85 displacement sites in Port-au-Prince are schools, an occupation that is putting school records at risk of destruction. Since July 2023, schools have faced about thirty attacks, including looting of school property, arson and kidnappings of staff and students.