(2017-05) New Strategy to Combat Cholera in Haiti - Report of the Secretary-General (A/71/895)

United Nations • 2017 • 16 pages

Summary — Secretary-General progress report to the General Assembly on the two-track United Nations cholera strategy in Haiti, updating suspected case counts since 2010 and reviewing implementation, funding and support to victims.

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Key Findings

The two-track strategy pairs intensified cholera control and long-term water, sanitation and health investment with a material assistance package for those most directly affected. The first suspected cholera case was recorded on 21 October 2010 in the Artibonite Department, and the epidemic peaked with 185,210 suspected cases in October-December 2010 and 352,033 in 2011 before declining sharply. The former Secretary-General apologized to the Haitian people on 1 December 2016, stating that the Organization simply had not done enough in the face of the epidemic. The report stresses that the goodwill generated by the apology depends on visible implementation and adequate Member State funding of the strategy.

Full Description

Submitted pursuant to General Assembly resolution 71/161 of 16 December 2016, this report updates progress on the new United Nations strategy to combat cholera in Haiti announced on 19 August 2016. The strategy has two tracks: Track 1 intensifies support to reduce and ultimately end cholera transmission, improve access to care and address longer-term water, sanitation and health systems, while Track 2 develops a package of material and financial assistance for the Haitians most directly affected, prioritizing victims and their families. The report recalls the former Secretary-General's apology to the Haitian people of 1 December 2016 and the Assembly's recognition of the Organization's moral responsibility to the victims. It tabulates suspected cholera cases from the first case recorded on 21 October 2010 in the Artibonite Department through April 2017, showing the epidemic's peak in 2010 and 2011 with 185,210 and 352,033 suspected cases and its subsequent decline. It reviews consultations with victims' communities, resource mobilization needs and the imperative of sustaining international support to control and eliminate the disease.

Topics

Geography

Time Coverage

2010-10 — 2017-04

Keywords

A/71/895, General Assembly, cholera, new strategy, Track 1, Track 2, water and sanitation, victims assistance, resolution 71/161, Artibonite, Secretary-General apology

Entities

United Nations General Assembly, Secretary-General, Government of Haiti, Ministry of Public Health and Population, MINUSTAH, United Nations Haiti Cholera Response Multi-Partner Trust Fund

Notes

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