Report of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons, Chaloka Beyani - Addendum: Mission to Haiti (A/HRC/29/34/Add.2)

The UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons, Chaloka Beyani, visited Haiti from 29 June to 5 July 2014 to assess the situation of people displaced by the 12 January 2010 earthquake. The quake destroyed an estimated 105,000 houses and severely damaged more than 188,000; at the peak, 1.5 million displaced persons lived in 1,555 camps. By 30 June 2014, IOM counted 103,565 displaced persons (28,143 households) in 172 camps or sites, about 75 percent of them on private land and exposed to eviction. The report reviews international and national responses, including the 16/6 program and rental subsidies, and examines housing, livelihoods, basic services, civil documentation, access to justice and the growth of informal settlements such as Canaan. The Rapporteur recommends shifting from a humanitarian approach to rights-based development, warns that camp closures do not amount to durable solutions, and urges a housing policy, an end to forced evictions and nationwide profiling of displaced populations.