EXCEPTIONAL SUMMIT OF THE PNH AT THE NATIONAL PALACE
(Haiti Libre) -
At the invitation of President Michel Martelly, the main actors involved in the development of the National Police of Haiti (PNH), have agreed on a Development Plan of the PNH for the period 2012-2016, in the perspective of the implementation of a joint strategy of withdrawal of forces of the MINUSTAH, during an exceptional summit held at the National Palace this Friday, June 29 2012.
Ppresent at the summit were President Martelly, the Prime Minister, the Minister of the Interior, the two Presidents of the Justice and Security Commissions in Parliament, the Director General of the PNH, Ambassadors and representatives of major donor countries of the PNH, namely: Germany, Brazil, Canada, France, Chile, the United States of America, Spain, Japan, Colombia and Norway, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations in Haiti, the Commissioner of the UN Police, and representatives of civil society.
"It is imperative that we strengthen our PNH [National Police of Haiti] because the departure of the MINUSTAH is linked to our ability to maintain order and peace in the country [...] the police is an essential instrument in the establishment of the rule of law and in creating a secure environment attractive for investments that generate employment," declared President Michel Martelly at the opening of the summit.
Mariano Fernández Amunátegui, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, acknowledged that "the time has come for a joint strategy for a gradual withdrawal [of the MINUSTAH], whose role in security matters must be insured by the National Police of Haiti; [...] a withdrawal based on a general improvement in security."
After more than two hours of intense discussions on the difficulties faced by the police institution and the solutions for its strengthening, participants agreed on a "new dynamic to support the development of the PNH," stated Prime Minister, Laurent Lamothe.
On the basis of a presentation made by the Director General of National Police of Haiti, Mario Andrésol, on the 2012-2016 Development Plan of the PNH (prepared jointly with MINUSTAH), the participants have agreed on a gradual increase in the size of the PNH from 10,106 to 15,106 in 2016 (ie 5,000 police officers trained in four years in 6 new promotions) and a yearly gradual increase of 10% in the budget allocated to the National Police.
"By 2016 we need $1.3 billion U.S. dollars to be able to meet the objectives that we have set for ourselves," indicated after the meeting, Lucien Jura, the Spokesman of the Presidency. "The funds must come from the Treasury for 900 million, and from the International Community to just over 400 million", adding that the Summit had also committed on a career plan to "raise the living standards of police officers, with an accompanying salary and benefits [...] to attract a different clientele and have executives better trained, and better prepared, to confront the challenges ahead for the nation."
For his part, Jean-Renel Sanon, the Minister of Justice stated "[...] We were very satisfied with the meeting [...] very pleased with the presentation that the Director General of the National Police of Haiti has done, the various interventions of senators, parliamentarians and of the Civil Society, that we have very much appreciated. [...] We decided to set up a Joint Monitoring Committee, of support to the National Police. Why? Because there is a different new body in the police. We must establish, for example: the Directorate of Border Police, the direction of the rural police and a project for a new rapid reaction force [...] like the 'Swat-Team'."
We discussed these different bodies. The Minister of Justice intervened, the President spoke, all Ambassadors have intervened, and globally we are very satisfied. Now we will set up budgets for all these police forces, and we will work in this Commission with the Supreme Council of the National Police (CSPN), the Presidency, and the 7 Embassies who participate in the Joint Commission [which will start meeting starting next week].
Monday, July 2, 2012
ARTICLE - CANADA DAY!
CANADA, SOURCE OF INSPIRATION FOR HAITIANS
(Haiti Libre) -
This Thursday, at the Canadian Embassy in Port-au-Prince, on the occasion of the celebration of Canada Day [July 1], to which participated Laurent Lamothe, the Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Haiti, the Ambassador of Canada accredited to Haiti, Henri Paul Normandin, addressing the Prime Minister declared "[...] Canada is maintaining in Haiti, a long-standing relationship. This relationship was built first and foremost, on people; many Haitians and Canadians travel between our two countries, and thus contribute to forging close ties. These exchanges have particularly enriched the culture of our two countries, and lead to many cultural events and activities.
We also share a common language, in the great family of French-speaking peoples, and Haiti will be also well represented, particularly by young people during the World Forum on the French language, to be held in Quebec City next week.
We also have economic and commercial exchanges, that we want to intensify. Our political ties are very strong and extremely friendly. Our feelings of solidarity are particularly expressed by the spontaneous arrival and exceptionally generosity of Canadians, following the earthquake on January 12, 2010.
Mr. Prime Minister, we know full well that social and economic development must be an endogenous process, well anchored in international networks. Here in Canada the priority of the government is to broaden the economic outlook; but right here in Haiti, the Government also made of the economy one of its '5Es' and this, rightly; because the large-scale creation of income generating activities and of employment, will allow the population to improve their living conditions and permit the country to take off.
Mr. Prime Minister, Canadians are ready to accompany you on this path, particularly through trade and investment, as they are ready to support the country, in the achievement of all its objectives and aspirations..."
Speeking after the speech of the Canadian Ambassador, Laurent Lamothe declared, "[...] The participation of your country since its inception, Mr. Ambassador, everywhere where it is a question of showing the banner of freedom, peace and hope, has significantly contributed to give Canada a unique international stature, that of a paragon of tolerance, respect for differences, and the promotion of Rights, of all rights: civil, political, economic, social and cultural.
Mr. Ambassador, this culture of tolerance, of dialogue, of the cordial understanding that characterizes the Canadian Nation is for us Haitians, a constant source of inspiration, and a model of a social relationship and partnership. The President of the Republic, His Excellency Michel Martelly now makes of that, his violin.
I would like to tell you how much we appreciate the excellence of our reports and the quality of our relations, which continue to strengthen, and grow in many fields every day..."
(Haiti Libre) -
This Thursday, at the Canadian Embassy in Port-au-Prince, on the occasion of the celebration of Canada Day [July 1], to which participated Laurent Lamothe, the Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Haiti, the Ambassador of Canada accredited to Haiti, Henri Paul Normandin, addressing the Prime Minister declared "[...] Canada is maintaining in Haiti, a long-standing relationship. This relationship was built first and foremost, on people; many Haitians and Canadians travel between our two countries, and thus contribute to forging close ties. These exchanges have particularly enriched the culture of our two countries, and lead to many cultural events and activities.
We also share a common language, in the great family of French-speaking peoples, and Haiti will be also well represented, particularly by young people during the World Forum on the French language, to be held in Quebec City next week.
We also have economic and commercial exchanges, that we want to intensify. Our political ties are very strong and extremely friendly. Our feelings of solidarity are particularly expressed by the spontaneous arrival and exceptionally generosity of Canadians, following the earthquake on January 12, 2010.
Mr. Prime Minister, we know full well that social and economic development must be an endogenous process, well anchored in international networks. Here in Canada the priority of the government is to broaden the economic outlook; but right here in Haiti, the Government also made of the economy one of its '5Es' and this, rightly; because the large-scale creation of income generating activities and of employment, will allow the population to improve their living conditions and permit the country to take off.
Mr. Prime Minister, Canadians are ready to accompany you on this path, particularly through trade and investment, as they are ready to support the country, in the achievement of all its objectives and aspirations..."
Speeking after the speech of the Canadian Ambassador, Laurent Lamothe declared, "[...] The participation of your country since its inception, Mr. Ambassador, everywhere where it is a question of showing the banner of freedom, peace and hope, has significantly contributed to give Canada a unique international stature, that of a paragon of tolerance, respect for differences, and the promotion of Rights, of all rights: civil, political, economic, social and cultural.
Mr. Ambassador, this culture of tolerance, of dialogue, of the cordial understanding that characterizes the Canadian Nation is for us Haitians, a constant source of inspiration, and a model of a social relationship and partnership. The President of the Republic, His Excellency Michel Martelly now makes of that, his violin.
I would like to tell you how much we appreciate the excellence of our reports and the quality of our relations, which continue to strengthen, and grow in many fields every day..."
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Aflac's Baby Ducks
We celebrated the hatching of our duck eggs this week! It is amazing what comes out of an egg.
These baby ducks have beautiful colorings.
And cute little wings too :)
Aflac is a proud mother. She looks after her baby ducks well. It is fun to watch them waddle behind her.
Here is Aflac "lining her ducks in a row" :)
OCHA HUMANITARIAN BULLETIN #19
OCHA HUMANITARIAN BULLETIN #19 - July 2, 2012
HIGHLIGHTS
- Outbreaks of cholera reach the Nord, Sud and Sud-Est departments, high probability of a major emergency in the coming months, according to IFRC
- CERF emergency allocation prevents further deterioration of sanitation conditions in IDP camps
- Return programs for IDPs bolster camps closure, urban planning in neighbourhoods begins
- The eighth simulation exercise for a natural disaster takes place in the Sud-Est department
- Rain in drought areas boosts agricultural production
FIGURES
Number of IDPs in camps = 390, 276
Cumulative cholera cases = 574,850
Fatality cholera cases = 7,398
FUNDING
- 230,5 million Requested (in US$).This amount is being revised as part of the CAP MYR
- 19.5% Funded
CHOLERA RESPONSE
Cholera alerts continue, including in IDP camps
Cholera outbreaks occurred in the North, Sud and South-East departments in June, the
Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) reports. The Ouest and Artibonite departments continue to report a net increase in new cases of cholera, including in the IDP camp of Cinea in Delmas 33 in metropolitan Port-au-Prince. According to statistics provided by the Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP), the average number of new cholera cases during the first three weeks of June 2012 was 227 compared with 61 during the same period in March, before the arrival of the first rains.
At Cinea camp, the health directorate for the Ouest department, as well as the National Directorate of Potable Water and Sanitation (DINEPA), supported by health partners, have administered oral rehydration salts to the sick, distributed water chlorination products and disinfected living areas. Preliminary assessments revealed that living conditions in the camp represented a high risk factor for the transmission of the disease. An analysis of water from water sources managed by the water management committee revealed the absence of residual chlorine. In addition, the maintenance of latrines entrusted by the DINEPA to the private enterprise JEDCO had not been carried out.
The health directorates of the Nord and Sud-Est departments and partners have also dispatched and restocked support structures with drugs and equipment. In Artibonite, however, discussions to defuse a potentially explosive situation related to the nonpayment of five months of salary arrears for medical staff employed by the Ministry of Health are on-going.
In a press release issued on 19 June, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) reported that the probability for cholera to turn into a major emergency in the next few months is high and resources for containing the situation considerably reduced. The Federation is concerned, among other things, about the slow pace of integrating cholera management within national health infrastructures and the weakness of the national alert and surveillance system. According to PAHO statistics, eight departments out of 10 in the country, provide either partial epidemiological reports or none at all.
Camp management
Significant improvement of sanitation in IDP camps
According to the latest report from the DINEPA/WASH Cluster, sanitation conditions in the camps have considerably improved since March 2012, which marked the beginning of desludging, maintenance and closure of latrines financed by the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) of the United Nations at $3.5 million.
From April to May, the number of sites that have received desludging services has risen from 66 to 122, translating into an increase of 100 per cent. In addition, 87 per cent of the latrines, needing either to be repaired or to be put out of service, were taken care of between March and May, thanks to the involvement of IOM funded by CERF. As a result, the percentage of camps where open air defection is common has seen a 50 per cent to 30 per cent decrease.
The arrival of CERF's emergency funding occurred in the midst of a suspension of operations of the DINEPA/UNOPS desludging fleet in January due to lack of funds. Last March, 378 sites needed desludging services, of which 86 were of an urgent nature.
Despite this improvement, several camp committees and NGOs have complained to DINEPA about the poor execution of certain desludging operations carried out by the private company JEDCO that do not follow the standards of cleanliness and does not target priority camps. These complaints are subject to close monitoring of DINEPA and UNICEF to improve the quality of services provided by JEDCO.
Return and relocation programs for displaced persons continue
IOM states in its April and June Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) that programmes to support the return and relocation of people displaced by the earthquake have contributed significantly to the decline of the camp population. Apart from voluntary departures and evictions, the reports state that the 14 per cent and 7 per cent decrease of the population in the camps observed respectively in April and June is equally the result of multiple initiatives of return, be they from subsidized rental housing, the provision of temporary shelters, the repair or construction of houses.
Since the earthquake, 14,000 families have benefited from subsidized rental housing programs established mainly by IOM, IFRC, World Vision and JP/HRO. Over 100,000 families have received a transitional shelter, 13,000 households have received assistance to repair their homes while 5,000 families have benefited from housing construction programmes, according to the statistics of the Housing and Public Buildings Construction Unit (UCLBP) of Haiti.
Created in November 2011, the UCLBP has a division devoted to the problem of rehabilitation of neighborhoods and relocation, and, particularly, the establishment in September 2011 of the pilot program 16 neighborhoods/6 camps. This project aims not only to facilitate the rehabilitation of 16 neighborhoods spread in the communes of Port-au-Prince, Pétion-Ville and Delmas but also to allow the return of displaced persons living in six priority camps by providing them with rent subsidies.
Urban planning starts in earthquak-affected neighborhoods
Urban planning activities, including mitigation programs are underway in eight of the 16 neighbourhoods. The six camps targeted - Place Boyer, Place St Pierre, Canapé Vert, Stade Sylvio Cator, Mais Gaté, Primature - have been closed as well as 15 other smaller camps. More than 5,100 families were thus able to return to their neighbourhoods of origin thanks to a subsidy of US$500 enabling them to rent a house of their choice for a year. These families were not landowners before the earthquake and were therefore not eligible for a transitional shelter or benefit from construction and repair programmes. This is also the case of 97 per cent of the displaced persons still living in the existing 575 camps.
Other initiatives in line with the 16/6 project have also borne fruit. This is the case of Champs de Mars, the most important public space in the capital, which housed 4,600 families in the aftermath of the earthquake. The relocation project funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) at 20 million dollars has enabled the relocation of a majority of displaced households. It is expected to be completed in August with the departure of the last families and the renovation of the space.
A survey conducted by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) showed that, contrary to some claims, the awarding of these subsidies had not led to a proliferation of disorganized construction on the mountainous terrain of the metropolitan area. This financial assistance has not encouraged either the expansion of slums, such as that of Canaan which was established in the aftermath of the earthquake on the outskirts of the capital. In fact, the investigation shows that a year after their relocation due to the rental subsidies, only 15 per cent of the families had left their new accommodation.
Camp population falls below the 400, 000 mark
According to IOM June Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM), there are 390,276individuals living in IDP camps. This is a 7 per cent decrease compared to April and the first time that the overall population is less than 100,000 households. The number of camps decreased by 4 per cent. When compared to the peak of displacement in July 2010, this reflects a 75 per cent decline in camp population. Similar to the previous period, the largest drop has been observed in the commune of Port-au-Prince where the overall IDP population decreased by 17 per cent.
Displaced persons from Champs de Mars receive identification documents
Over 700 displaced persons from Champs de Mars have recently received birth certificates thanks to the protection programme implemented by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and its implementing partners ACAT and GARR. This activity goes hand in hand with the process of relocating displaced persons from Champs de Mars (see article above) and aims at giving a legal existence to people who lost their identification documents during the earthquake or those who have never had any. In 2011, UNHCR enabled over 5,500 people to obtain birth certificates. The goal for 2012 is to provide 5,000 additional birth certificates to particularly vulnerable persons such as undeclared newborns, unaccompanied and separated children, households headed by single mothers, young mothers, pregnant women, people with disabilities and those with chronic diseases, as well as the elderly with special needs.
UNHCR scales up support to displaced women victims of violence
One year after its inauguration, the UNHCR safe house in Port-au-Prince is beefing up its support to the most vulnerable displaced women survivors of sexual and gender-based violence and their families.
In addition to providing assistance to some 200 women and their family members, i.e. secure living space, psycho-social support, trainings, education for the children and medical assistance, new challenges are being taken on with the support of implementing partners. The priorities are now to improve child-friendly spaces in the safe house, to strengthen the durable solutions available to the survivors in particular with additional professional inductions such as literacy classes.
Ensuring that the women's reintegration into society is sustainable is a crucial element of the project. A community warehouse was recently inaugurated where the survivors will benefit from a micro-grant scheme in order to start their own small business. In connection to the community warehouse a training center is being established where women will be able to develop and strengthen skills such as cooking and sewing.
Emergency preparedness
The South-East is preparing for a natural disaster
The eighth natural disaster simulation exercise (SIMEX) was held on 8 June in the Sud-Est department, one of the most vulnerable departments in the country, due to its geographical location on the path of cyclones and in close proximity to a seismic fault.
Organized by the Department of Civil Protection (DPC) with the support of OCHA, UNDP, WFP and MINUSTAH, the SIMEX has highlighted the strengths and weaknesses of the response capacity of the department where continuous deforestation of watersheds has increased the risks of flooding, landslides and rockfall. An estimated 430,000people are at risk of flooding in the department.
Over two dozen containers of first aid stock (DIPS) are available in 10 communes, and 250 volunteers have been trained in their operation. Some 550 volunteer rescuers, eight ambulances, three boats and a boat ambulance are also available in the event of a major disaster. In addition, the coordination capacity of the departmental technical team as well as cooperation between the Departmental Emergency Operation Centre (COUD) and the Regional Centre for Joint Operations (RJOC) of the MINUSTAH were considered excellent.
However, a major concern issue of concern is the lack of clarity regarding pre-positioned contingency stocks of food and non-food items in the department, as well as the number of temporary shelters in case of evacuation.
A national SIMEX will be held in the communes of Arcahaie and Cabaret in the Ouest department on 5 and 6 July, and will test maritime deployment capacities. Evacuation drills in camps for the displaced will also take place.
Training on DRM in schools of West department
A training of trainers on Disaster Risk Management (DRM) for schools was organised from 10 to 16 June in the Ouest department with 37 participants from the Ministry of Education, the DPC and 13 NGOs working in schools. It was the first training of trainers organized by the Government of Haiti, financed by UNICEF. Detailed knowledge on DRM and child-centred DRM methodologies were introduced. Expected outcomes of this training will be to replicate teacher training and student sensitization on DRM, to consolidate a training module, and to work with the Ministry of Education towards integrating DRM into school curriculum.
Seismic hazard in Haiti comparable to that of California
During a presentation on 20 June in Port-au-Prince, Eric Calais, scientific adviser to UNDP in Haiti and professor of geophysics at Perdue University, United States, stated that the history of the Island Hispaniola shows a persistent danger of seismic activity. The country’s seismic hazard is comparable to that of California and affects the entire territory even though the major faults are located in the north and the south. Calais also pointed out that scientific reality predicts other earthquakes in the future.
He also stated that the density of the population, disorganized construction with no respect for earthquake-resistance standards and the inability of the municipalities to control urban planning are all factors that have contributed to raise the vulnerability of the country.
Following the 2010 earthquake, a seismic risk reduction roadmap was developed by UNDP at the request of the National System for the Management and Reduction of Risks and Disasters (SNGRD). Since then, 15 of 19 seismological stations have been installed, a seismology technical unit has been created, macro zoning maps have been developed and engineers and builders have been trained in the techniques of earthquake-resistant construction. The development of a seismic plan for the greater north close to the northern fault line is in progress and benefits from a funding of $10 million from the Fund for the reconstruction of Haiti (FRH).
Nevertheless, adds Eric Calais, it is necessary to incorporate seismic zoning in the urban planning of the country, to assess the set of strategic buildings and reinforce the principal hospitals as well as the schools, continue to train engineers and other professionals in the construction industry and include earthquake-resistant engineering in civil engineering programs.
Food security
Good crop prospects in July
After experiencing a long period of drought, there has been rainfall for over two months in the upper Artibonite and the extreme Northwest departments enabling the growth of crops, according to the latest report from FEWS Net in May. There is plenty of seasonal rainfall throughout the entire country, which should translate into good harvests in July, probably higher than the average. Since May, a decrease in the price of imported products has also been reported in most of the departmental markets.
After a period of food shortages due to crop losses in February, promising harvesting of maize, beans and tubers in July will mitigate household food insecurity in the upper Artibonite. Presently, the mango season employs many people for harvesting, handling, transport and sale of the fruit. This form of seasonal employment is a frequent survival strategy used by households in these areas throughout the month of May, as stated by the report.
For over a month, rains in the western tip of the Northwest have made for a return to agricultural activities, thus providing a source of employment to the poorest. These precipitations have also encouraged the growth of livestock whose physical condition had deteriorated in recent months due to the drought.
The situation of food-insecure households in shanty towns and IDP camps will also improve as from July due to a greater availability of local products on the markets.
Coordination
Education Cluster closes
As of 30 June, the Education Cluster is officially ending its current form of coordination led by UNICEF and Save the Children after two and half years of endeavours. The Cluster co-lead and its partners will continue to work with the Ministry of Education and the DPC for sector coordination of emergency preparedness and response in order to transfer and develop national capacity and resilience. A document on lessons learned from the Education Cluster experiences is being finalized.
Other issues
First recycled cobblestones from earthquake rubble pave Carrefour-Feuille
As part of the “Débris I” and “Débris II” projects, the first recycled cobblestones made from earthquake-generated debris were used to pave sidewalks and stairs at the beginning of June in the Carrefour-Feuilles commune. With the assistance provided by the ILO to the Truman MTPTC-UN site, production has been greatly boosted. The current production stands at 120,000 cobblestones bricks, 4,204 roofing tiles and1,515 slabs.
These initiatives contribute to improving living conditions in the neighbourhoods, in addition to creating jobs. As at now, 2,635 working days have been created on the MTPTC-UN site. In order to achieve productivity goals, the ILO has trained 124 Haitian workers in debris recycling and transformation techniques.
The ILO’s management capacity building programme for local entrepreneurs led to the training of 33 young Haitians, five of them women. This initiative has led to the further training 300 local entrepreneurs, 42 of them women, in business management. Through the «Débris I and II» projects the ILO has enabled the direct creation of six businesses and supported 47 others in the building sector.
The goal of the «Débris I and II» projects is to rehabilitate several neighbourhoods in Port-au-Prince that were destroyed by the 12 January 2010 earthquake, through the introduction of a clearance, treatment and recycling earthquake rubble system.
Some 300,000 children in domestic servitude
On the occasion of the World Day against Child Labour commemorated on June 12, the ILO, UNICEF, UNESCO, IOM and the Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in Haiti, Nigel Fisher, renewed the determination of the United Nations system to support Haiti to win the fight of a world free of child labour. The number of children as domestic servants "restavek" in Haiti is estimated at 300,000. On its part, IOM has set up a series of multimedia tools to increase public awareness of abuses related to this practice through SMS messages, a Facebook page (www.facebook.com/restaveck ), Twitter ( @frennenrestavek), Youtube, a comic strip Chimen Lakay, and the humanitarian call centre NOU (NOU THE 177). Anyone with information on this practice in his/ her community is invited to share by calling the centre.
Following the earthquake, UNICEF has also intensified its support for the development of a Minors' Protection Brigade (BPM) and supported a vast programme of prevention of trafficking and serious violations of children's rights at the main border crossings with the Dominican Republic as well as in the camps for displaced persons. Of the 12,000 children monitored, 2,800 of them were in an irregular situation. Among these, 285 were subjected to practices similar to trafficking. Haiti ratified on 11 June 2012 the Hague Convention on International Adoption.
For further information, please contact:
George Ngwa Anuongong, Chief, Communication Section, ngwaanuongong@un.org
Emmanuelle Schneider, spokesperson/Information officer, shneider1@un.org
Rachelle Elien, information officer, elien@un.org
Widlyn Dornevil, reporting officer, dornevil@un.org
OCHA humanitarian bulletins are available at http://haiti.humanitarianresponse.info/ www.unocha.org www.reliefweb.int
HIGHLIGHTS
- Outbreaks of cholera reach the Nord, Sud and Sud-Est departments, high probability of a major emergency in the coming months, according to IFRC
- CERF emergency allocation prevents further deterioration of sanitation conditions in IDP camps
- Return programs for IDPs bolster camps closure, urban planning in neighbourhoods begins
- The eighth simulation exercise for a natural disaster takes place in the Sud-Est department
- Rain in drought areas boosts agricultural production
FIGURES
Number of IDPs in camps = 390, 276
Cumulative cholera cases = 574,850
Fatality cholera cases = 7,398
FUNDING
- 230,5 million Requested (in US$).This amount is being revised as part of the CAP MYR
- 19.5% Funded
CHOLERA RESPONSE
Cholera alerts continue, including in IDP camps
Cholera outbreaks occurred in the North, Sud and South-East departments in June, the
Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) reports. The Ouest and Artibonite departments continue to report a net increase in new cases of cholera, including in the IDP camp of Cinea in Delmas 33 in metropolitan Port-au-Prince. According to statistics provided by the Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP), the average number of new cholera cases during the first three weeks of June 2012 was 227 compared with 61 during the same period in March, before the arrival of the first rains.
At Cinea camp, the health directorate for the Ouest department, as well as the National Directorate of Potable Water and Sanitation (DINEPA), supported by health partners, have administered oral rehydration salts to the sick, distributed water chlorination products and disinfected living areas. Preliminary assessments revealed that living conditions in the camp represented a high risk factor for the transmission of the disease. An analysis of water from water sources managed by the water management committee revealed the absence of residual chlorine. In addition, the maintenance of latrines entrusted by the DINEPA to the private enterprise JEDCO had not been carried out.
The health directorates of the Nord and Sud-Est departments and partners have also dispatched and restocked support structures with drugs and equipment. In Artibonite, however, discussions to defuse a potentially explosive situation related to the nonpayment of five months of salary arrears for medical staff employed by the Ministry of Health are on-going.
In a press release issued on 19 June, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) reported that the probability for cholera to turn into a major emergency in the next few months is high and resources for containing the situation considerably reduced. The Federation is concerned, among other things, about the slow pace of integrating cholera management within national health infrastructures and the weakness of the national alert and surveillance system. According to PAHO statistics, eight departments out of 10 in the country, provide either partial epidemiological reports or none at all.
Camp management
Significant improvement of sanitation in IDP camps
According to the latest report from the DINEPA/WASH Cluster, sanitation conditions in the camps have considerably improved since March 2012, which marked the beginning of desludging, maintenance and closure of latrines financed by the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) of the United Nations at $3.5 million.
From April to May, the number of sites that have received desludging services has risen from 66 to 122, translating into an increase of 100 per cent. In addition, 87 per cent of the latrines, needing either to be repaired or to be put out of service, were taken care of between March and May, thanks to the involvement of IOM funded by CERF. As a result, the percentage of camps where open air defection is common has seen a 50 per cent to 30 per cent decrease.
The arrival of CERF's emergency funding occurred in the midst of a suspension of operations of the DINEPA/UNOPS desludging fleet in January due to lack of funds. Last March, 378 sites needed desludging services, of which 86 were of an urgent nature.
Despite this improvement, several camp committees and NGOs have complained to DINEPA about the poor execution of certain desludging operations carried out by the private company JEDCO that do not follow the standards of cleanliness and does not target priority camps. These complaints are subject to close monitoring of DINEPA and UNICEF to improve the quality of services provided by JEDCO.
Return and relocation programs for displaced persons continue
IOM states in its April and June Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) that programmes to support the return and relocation of people displaced by the earthquake have contributed significantly to the decline of the camp population. Apart from voluntary departures and evictions, the reports state that the 14 per cent and 7 per cent decrease of the population in the camps observed respectively in April and June is equally the result of multiple initiatives of return, be they from subsidized rental housing, the provision of temporary shelters, the repair or construction of houses.
Since the earthquake, 14,000 families have benefited from subsidized rental housing programs established mainly by IOM, IFRC, World Vision and JP/HRO. Over 100,000 families have received a transitional shelter, 13,000 households have received assistance to repair their homes while 5,000 families have benefited from housing construction programmes, according to the statistics of the Housing and Public Buildings Construction Unit (UCLBP) of Haiti.
Created in November 2011, the UCLBP has a division devoted to the problem of rehabilitation of neighborhoods and relocation, and, particularly, the establishment in September 2011 of the pilot program 16 neighborhoods/6 camps. This project aims not only to facilitate the rehabilitation of 16 neighborhoods spread in the communes of Port-au-Prince, Pétion-Ville and Delmas but also to allow the return of displaced persons living in six priority camps by providing them with rent subsidies.
Urban planning starts in earthquak-affected neighborhoods
Urban planning activities, including mitigation programs are underway in eight of the 16 neighbourhoods. The six camps targeted - Place Boyer, Place St Pierre, Canapé Vert, Stade Sylvio Cator, Mais Gaté, Primature - have been closed as well as 15 other smaller camps. More than 5,100 families were thus able to return to their neighbourhoods of origin thanks to a subsidy of US$500 enabling them to rent a house of their choice for a year. These families were not landowners before the earthquake and were therefore not eligible for a transitional shelter or benefit from construction and repair programmes. This is also the case of 97 per cent of the displaced persons still living in the existing 575 camps.
Other initiatives in line with the 16/6 project have also borne fruit. This is the case of Champs de Mars, the most important public space in the capital, which housed 4,600 families in the aftermath of the earthquake. The relocation project funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) at 20 million dollars has enabled the relocation of a majority of displaced households. It is expected to be completed in August with the departure of the last families and the renovation of the space.
A survey conducted by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) showed that, contrary to some claims, the awarding of these subsidies had not led to a proliferation of disorganized construction on the mountainous terrain of the metropolitan area. This financial assistance has not encouraged either the expansion of slums, such as that of Canaan which was established in the aftermath of the earthquake on the outskirts of the capital. In fact, the investigation shows that a year after their relocation due to the rental subsidies, only 15 per cent of the families had left their new accommodation.
Camp population falls below the 400, 000 mark
According to IOM June Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM), there are 390,276individuals living in IDP camps. This is a 7 per cent decrease compared to April and the first time that the overall population is less than 100,000 households. The number of camps decreased by 4 per cent. When compared to the peak of displacement in July 2010, this reflects a 75 per cent decline in camp population. Similar to the previous period, the largest drop has been observed in the commune of Port-au-Prince where the overall IDP population decreased by 17 per cent.
Displaced persons from Champs de Mars receive identification documents
Over 700 displaced persons from Champs de Mars have recently received birth certificates thanks to the protection programme implemented by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and its implementing partners ACAT and GARR. This activity goes hand in hand with the process of relocating displaced persons from Champs de Mars (see article above) and aims at giving a legal existence to people who lost their identification documents during the earthquake or those who have never had any. In 2011, UNHCR enabled over 5,500 people to obtain birth certificates. The goal for 2012 is to provide 5,000 additional birth certificates to particularly vulnerable persons such as undeclared newborns, unaccompanied and separated children, households headed by single mothers, young mothers, pregnant women, people with disabilities and those with chronic diseases, as well as the elderly with special needs.
UNHCR scales up support to displaced women victims of violence
One year after its inauguration, the UNHCR safe house in Port-au-Prince is beefing up its support to the most vulnerable displaced women survivors of sexual and gender-based violence and their families.
In addition to providing assistance to some 200 women and their family members, i.e. secure living space, psycho-social support, trainings, education for the children and medical assistance, new challenges are being taken on with the support of implementing partners. The priorities are now to improve child-friendly spaces in the safe house, to strengthen the durable solutions available to the survivors in particular with additional professional inductions such as literacy classes.
Ensuring that the women's reintegration into society is sustainable is a crucial element of the project. A community warehouse was recently inaugurated where the survivors will benefit from a micro-grant scheme in order to start their own small business. In connection to the community warehouse a training center is being established where women will be able to develop and strengthen skills such as cooking and sewing.
Emergency preparedness
The South-East is preparing for a natural disaster
The eighth natural disaster simulation exercise (SIMEX) was held on 8 June in the Sud-Est department, one of the most vulnerable departments in the country, due to its geographical location on the path of cyclones and in close proximity to a seismic fault.
Organized by the Department of Civil Protection (DPC) with the support of OCHA, UNDP, WFP and MINUSTAH, the SIMEX has highlighted the strengths and weaknesses of the response capacity of the department where continuous deforestation of watersheds has increased the risks of flooding, landslides and rockfall. An estimated 430,000people are at risk of flooding in the department.
Over two dozen containers of first aid stock (DIPS) are available in 10 communes, and 250 volunteers have been trained in their operation. Some 550 volunteer rescuers, eight ambulances, three boats and a boat ambulance are also available in the event of a major disaster. In addition, the coordination capacity of the departmental technical team as well as cooperation between the Departmental Emergency Operation Centre (COUD) and the Regional Centre for Joint Operations (RJOC) of the MINUSTAH were considered excellent.
However, a major concern issue of concern is the lack of clarity regarding pre-positioned contingency stocks of food and non-food items in the department, as well as the number of temporary shelters in case of evacuation.
A national SIMEX will be held in the communes of Arcahaie and Cabaret in the Ouest department on 5 and 6 July, and will test maritime deployment capacities. Evacuation drills in camps for the displaced will also take place.
Training on DRM in schools of West department
A training of trainers on Disaster Risk Management (DRM) for schools was organised from 10 to 16 June in the Ouest department with 37 participants from the Ministry of Education, the DPC and 13 NGOs working in schools. It was the first training of trainers organized by the Government of Haiti, financed by UNICEF. Detailed knowledge on DRM and child-centred DRM methodologies were introduced. Expected outcomes of this training will be to replicate teacher training and student sensitization on DRM, to consolidate a training module, and to work with the Ministry of Education towards integrating DRM into school curriculum.
Seismic hazard in Haiti comparable to that of California
During a presentation on 20 June in Port-au-Prince, Eric Calais, scientific adviser to UNDP in Haiti and professor of geophysics at Perdue University, United States, stated that the history of the Island Hispaniola shows a persistent danger of seismic activity. The country’s seismic hazard is comparable to that of California and affects the entire territory even though the major faults are located in the north and the south. Calais also pointed out that scientific reality predicts other earthquakes in the future.
He also stated that the density of the population, disorganized construction with no respect for earthquake-resistance standards and the inability of the municipalities to control urban planning are all factors that have contributed to raise the vulnerability of the country.
Following the 2010 earthquake, a seismic risk reduction roadmap was developed by UNDP at the request of the National System for the Management and Reduction of Risks and Disasters (SNGRD). Since then, 15 of 19 seismological stations have been installed, a seismology technical unit has been created, macro zoning maps have been developed and engineers and builders have been trained in the techniques of earthquake-resistant construction. The development of a seismic plan for the greater north close to the northern fault line is in progress and benefits from a funding of $10 million from the Fund for the reconstruction of Haiti (FRH).
Nevertheless, adds Eric Calais, it is necessary to incorporate seismic zoning in the urban planning of the country, to assess the set of strategic buildings and reinforce the principal hospitals as well as the schools, continue to train engineers and other professionals in the construction industry and include earthquake-resistant engineering in civil engineering programs.
Food security
Good crop prospects in July
After experiencing a long period of drought, there has been rainfall for over two months in the upper Artibonite and the extreme Northwest departments enabling the growth of crops, according to the latest report from FEWS Net in May. There is plenty of seasonal rainfall throughout the entire country, which should translate into good harvests in July, probably higher than the average. Since May, a decrease in the price of imported products has also been reported in most of the departmental markets.
After a period of food shortages due to crop losses in February, promising harvesting of maize, beans and tubers in July will mitigate household food insecurity in the upper Artibonite. Presently, the mango season employs many people for harvesting, handling, transport and sale of the fruit. This form of seasonal employment is a frequent survival strategy used by households in these areas throughout the month of May, as stated by the report.
For over a month, rains in the western tip of the Northwest have made for a return to agricultural activities, thus providing a source of employment to the poorest. These precipitations have also encouraged the growth of livestock whose physical condition had deteriorated in recent months due to the drought.
The situation of food-insecure households in shanty towns and IDP camps will also improve as from July due to a greater availability of local products on the markets.
Coordination
Education Cluster closes
As of 30 June, the Education Cluster is officially ending its current form of coordination led by UNICEF and Save the Children after two and half years of endeavours. The Cluster co-lead and its partners will continue to work with the Ministry of Education and the DPC for sector coordination of emergency preparedness and response in order to transfer and develop national capacity and resilience. A document on lessons learned from the Education Cluster experiences is being finalized.
Other issues
First recycled cobblestones from earthquake rubble pave Carrefour-Feuille
As part of the “Débris I” and “Débris II” projects, the first recycled cobblestones made from earthquake-generated debris were used to pave sidewalks and stairs at the beginning of June in the Carrefour-Feuilles commune. With the assistance provided by the ILO to the Truman MTPTC-UN site, production has been greatly boosted. The current production stands at 120,000 cobblestones bricks, 4,204 roofing tiles and1,515 slabs.
These initiatives contribute to improving living conditions in the neighbourhoods, in addition to creating jobs. As at now, 2,635 working days have been created on the MTPTC-UN site. In order to achieve productivity goals, the ILO has trained 124 Haitian workers in debris recycling and transformation techniques.
The ILO’s management capacity building programme for local entrepreneurs led to the training of 33 young Haitians, five of them women. This initiative has led to the further training 300 local entrepreneurs, 42 of them women, in business management. Through the «Débris I and II» projects the ILO has enabled the direct creation of six businesses and supported 47 others in the building sector.
The goal of the «Débris I and II» projects is to rehabilitate several neighbourhoods in Port-au-Prince that were destroyed by the 12 January 2010 earthquake, through the introduction of a clearance, treatment and recycling earthquake rubble system.
Some 300,000 children in domestic servitude
On the occasion of the World Day against Child Labour commemorated on June 12, the ILO, UNICEF, UNESCO, IOM and the Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in Haiti, Nigel Fisher, renewed the determination of the United Nations system to support Haiti to win the fight of a world free of child labour. The number of children as domestic servants "restavek" in Haiti is estimated at 300,000. On its part, IOM has set up a series of multimedia tools to increase public awareness of abuses related to this practice through SMS messages, a Facebook page (www.facebook.com/restaveck ), Twitter ( @frennenrestavek), Youtube, a comic strip Chimen Lakay, and the humanitarian call centre NOU (NOU THE 177). Anyone with information on this practice in his/ her community is invited to share by calling the centre.
Following the earthquake, UNICEF has also intensified its support for the development of a Minors' Protection Brigade (BPM) and supported a vast programme of prevention of trafficking and serious violations of children's rights at the main border crossings with the Dominican Republic as well as in the camps for displaced persons. Of the 12,000 children monitored, 2,800 of them were in an irregular situation. Among these, 285 were subjected to practices similar to trafficking. Haiti ratified on 11 June 2012 the Hague Convention on International Adoption.
For further information, please contact:
George Ngwa Anuongong, Chief, Communication Section, ngwaanuongong@un.org
Emmanuelle Schneider, spokesperson/Information officer, shneider1@un.org
Rachelle Elien, information officer, elien@un.org
Widlyn Dornevil, reporting officer, dornevil@un.org
OCHA humanitarian bulletins are available at http://haiti.humanitarianresponse.info/ www.unocha.org www.reliefweb.int
ARTICLE - POLLUTION UP, FORESTS DOWN
RIO 20 YEARS LATER: POLLUTION UP, FORESTS DOWN
(AP) - By Seth Borenstein
WASHINGTON (AP) — Since world leaders last gathered in Rio de Janeiro to talk about the state of the Earth, temperatures have climbed and disasters have mounted. As diplomats discuss climate, sustainability and biodiversity, here is Earth by the numbers since 1992:
TEMPERATURES: The average annual global temperature has increased 0.58 degrees Fahrenheit (0.32 degrees Celsius) since 1992 based on 10-year running averages, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Every year since 1992 has been warmer than the year of the original Rio conference.
POLLUTION: Global levels of the chief heat-trapping gas, carbon dioxide, climbed 10 percent from nearly 358 parts per million in April 1992 to 394 ppm this past April, NOAA said.
DISASTERS: Since 1992, natural disasters have affected 4.4 billion people worldwide, killed 1.3 million people, and cost $2 trillion in damages, according to the United Nations. Earthquakes, storms, extreme temperatures and floods were the biggest killers.
FORESTS: Since 1990, the world's primary forest areas have decreased about 740 million acres (300 million hectares), according to the United Nations. That's an area larger than Argentina.
(AP) - By Seth Borenstein
WASHINGTON (AP) — Since world leaders last gathered in Rio de Janeiro to talk about the state of the Earth, temperatures have climbed and disasters have mounted. As diplomats discuss climate, sustainability and biodiversity, here is Earth by the numbers since 1992:
TEMPERATURES: The average annual global temperature has increased 0.58 degrees Fahrenheit (0.32 degrees Celsius) since 1992 based on 10-year running averages, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Every year since 1992 has been warmer than the year of the original Rio conference.
POLLUTION: Global levels of the chief heat-trapping gas, carbon dioxide, climbed 10 percent from nearly 358 parts per million in April 1992 to 394 ppm this past April, NOAA said.
DISASTERS: Since 1992, natural disasters have affected 4.4 billion people worldwide, killed 1.3 million people, and cost $2 trillion in damages, according to the United Nations. Earthquakes, storms, extreme temperatures and floods were the biggest killers.
FORESTS: Since 1990, the world's primary forest areas have decreased about 740 million acres (300 million hectares), according to the United Nations. That's an area larger than Argentina.
ARTICLE - MAKE PROGRESS ON FORESTS
HOW WE CAN MAKE PROGRESS ON FORESTS AT RIO+20
(AllAfrica) - By Nigel Sizer
When it comes to the fate of forests, Rio+20 and the official negotiations risk becoming a side event. Instead, the main show is playing out in countless boardrooms, communities, parliaments, and villages around the world. From Brazil to Bangladesh, Canada to Cambodia, these organizations have made dramatic progress with efforts to reverse forest decline.
Of course, much remains to be done: globally, forests continue to decline at the rate of about 13 million hectares each year, according to the United Nations. But many successes help illuminate a path forward.
Brazil achieved what some have called the greatest contribution to reducing global greenhouse gas emissions, more than halving the rates of forest loss in the Amazon over the past decade. Brazilian institutions, such as IBAMA and the Federal Police, working with local NGOs like Imazon, have made dramatic improvements on monitoring forest crime and targeting enforcement efforts. This despite recent concerns, which WRI shares, about revisions to Brazil's Forest Code that could lead to increased forest clearing.
Canadian forest products companies, environmental campaigners, first nations, and provincial government agencies worked together over a similar time period to commit to the Canadian Boreal Forests Agreement, which helps conserve and manage more than 70 million hectares of forest. The agreement has enabled companies to get back to the business of managing forest land rather than fighting with environmentalists. It's also helped safeguard one of the world's greatest mammal migration routes for the majestic woodland caribou.
IKEA, the world's largest furniture retailer, took advantage of detailed satellite data on the location of large, intact natural forests in Russia and elsewhere. It overhauled its procurement policies and supply chain management system to ensure that furniture sold in all of its stores comes from responsibly managed forests. Many other global firms are now working on implementing similar systems.
In Mexico, Indonesia, Thailand, India, and many other countries, local communities have shown that they can be the most effective forest stewards as long as they have the authority to do so, as well as support from markets. The community-managed ejido system in Mexico, for example, now covers hundreds of thousands of hectares, and management has been certified to the highest international standards.
In Niger, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, and across sub-Saharan Africa, villagers - often with far-sighted encouragement from government agencies - have regreened millions of hectares of semi-desert. As a result, they have more food to eat, more water to drink, and higher incomes, ensuring that their families are healthier and better educated.
And last year, Indonesia announced a moratorium on new forest-clearing licenses in much of the country's remaining forests. Officials also committed to shift much future oil-palm development onto already cleared or degraded land rather than clearing more forests to develop the plantations.
IMPETUS FOR LOCAL EFFORTS
The question for Rio is: How can international agreements and actions help advance these local efforts?
Advances are possible at Rio on three critical issues:
Governments can promote improved access to information and decision-making through a Rio-mandated, global convention to strengthen the public's rights of access to information, participation, and justice. These essential rights would greatly increase citizens' abilities to protect the environment and their livelihoods. Greater access to quality information about proposed development and investments is so important to improving forest management and governance that WRI is developing Global Forest Watch 2.0, an interactive web-based system that will track that state of forests globally in near-real-time. WRI will offer a sneak peek of this powerful new tool in four presentations at Rio with partners Google, Imazon, Center for Global Development, and the University of Maryland.
The gathering can help build awareness of the benefits of transitioning to a "green economy" in terms of finance, policy changes, technologies, and land use practices. The striking example of re-greening success in Niger and beyond (mentioned above), with dramatic economic and human well-being benefits like increased food security and rural incomes, stands out as one that should be better understood and replicated.
"Energy for all" has emerged as one of the most concrete areas for partnership galvanized by the Rio meetings. What is often forgotten is that the majority of the poor get most of their energy from wood fuel. In doing so, they must often endure hard labor to gather the wood and are exposed to chronic lung disease from wood smoke inhalation, leading to thousands of deaths a year. Women and children bear the brunt of these burdens. Access to clean energy would greatly improve the quality of lives of millions, as well as reduce pressure on threatened forest resources.
Advances on transparency, how we define economic progress, and energy access would help move the U.N.-sponsored Rio process closer to center stage and boost efforts to better manage forests globally.
Nigel Sizer is director of the Global Forest Initiative at the World Resources Institute (WRI).
(AllAfrica) - By Nigel Sizer
When it comes to the fate of forests, Rio+20 and the official negotiations risk becoming a side event. Instead, the main show is playing out in countless boardrooms, communities, parliaments, and villages around the world. From Brazil to Bangladesh, Canada to Cambodia, these organizations have made dramatic progress with efforts to reverse forest decline.
Of course, much remains to be done: globally, forests continue to decline at the rate of about 13 million hectares each year, according to the United Nations. But many successes help illuminate a path forward.
Brazil achieved what some have called the greatest contribution to reducing global greenhouse gas emissions, more than halving the rates of forest loss in the Amazon over the past decade. Brazilian institutions, such as IBAMA and the Federal Police, working with local NGOs like Imazon, have made dramatic improvements on monitoring forest crime and targeting enforcement efforts. This despite recent concerns, which WRI shares, about revisions to Brazil's Forest Code that could lead to increased forest clearing.
Canadian forest products companies, environmental campaigners, first nations, and provincial government agencies worked together over a similar time period to commit to the Canadian Boreal Forests Agreement, which helps conserve and manage more than 70 million hectares of forest. The agreement has enabled companies to get back to the business of managing forest land rather than fighting with environmentalists. It's also helped safeguard one of the world's greatest mammal migration routes for the majestic woodland caribou.
IKEA, the world's largest furniture retailer, took advantage of detailed satellite data on the location of large, intact natural forests in Russia and elsewhere. It overhauled its procurement policies and supply chain management system to ensure that furniture sold in all of its stores comes from responsibly managed forests. Many other global firms are now working on implementing similar systems.
In Mexico, Indonesia, Thailand, India, and many other countries, local communities have shown that they can be the most effective forest stewards as long as they have the authority to do so, as well as support from markets. The community-managed ejido system in Mexico, for example, now covers hundreds of thousands of hectares, and management has been certified to the highest international standards.
In Niger, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, and across sub-Saharan Africa, villagers - often with far-sighted encouragement from government agencies - have regreened millions of hectares of semi-desert. As a result, they have more food to eat, more water to drink, and higher incomes, ensuring that their families are healthier and better educated.
And last year, Indonesia announced a moratorium on new forest-clearing licenses in much of the country's remaining forests. Officials also committed to shift much future oil-palm development onto already cleared or degraded land rather than clearing more forests to develop the plantations.
IMPETUS FOR LOCAL EFFORTS
The question for Rio is: How can international agreements and actions help advance these local efforts?
Advances are possible at Rio on three critical issues:
Governments can promote improved access to information and decision-making through a Rio-mandated, global convention to strengthen the public's rights of access to information, participation, and justice. These essential rights would greatly increase citizens' abilities to protect the environment and their livelihoods. Greater access to quality information about proposed development and investments is so important to improving forest management and governance that WRI is developing Global Forest Watch 2.0, an interactive web-based system that will track that state of forests globally in near-real-time. WRI will offer a sneak peek of this powerful new tool in four presentations at Rio with partners Google, Imazon, Center for Global Development, and the University of Maryland.
The gathering can help build awareness of the benefits of transitioning to a "green economy" in terms of finance, policy changes, technologies, and land use practices. The striking example of re-greening success in Niger and beyond (mentioned above), with dramatic economic and human well-being benefits like increased food security and rural incomes, stands out as one that should be better understood and replicated.
"Energy for all" has emerged as one of the most concrete areas for partnership galvanized by the Rio meetings. What is often forgotten is that the majority of the poor get most of their energy from wood fuel. In doing so, they must often endure hard labor to gather the wood and are exposed to chronic lung disease from wood smoke inhalation, leading to thousands of deaths a year. Women and children bear the brunt of these burdens. Access to clean energy would greatly improve the quality of lives of millions, as well as reduce pressure on threatened forest resources.
Advances on transparency, how we define economic progress, and energy access would help move the U.N.-sponsored Rio process closer to center stage and boost efforts to better manage forests globally.
Nigel Sizer is director of the Global Forest Initiative at the World Resources Institute (WRI).
ARTICLE - RIO+20 SUMMIT - CORPORATE POWER
RIO SUMMIT ENDS WITH WARNING ON CORPORATE POWER
(BBC) - By Richard Black
The UN sustainable development summit in Brazil has ended with world leaders adopting a political declaration hammered out a few days previously.
Environment and development charities say the Rio+20 agreement is too weak to tackle social and environmental crises.
Gro Harlem Brundtland, author of a major UN sustainable development report 25 years ago, said corporate power was one reason for lack of progress.
Nations will spend three years drawing up sustainable development goals.
They will also work towards better protection for marine life on the high seas.
But moves to eliminate subsidies on fossil fuels - recommended in a number of authoritative reports as likely to boost economies and curb CO2 emissions - came to naught.
Plans to enshrine the right of poor people to have clean water, adequate food and modern forms of energy also foundered or were seriously weakened during the six days of preparatory talks.
And many governments were bitter that text enshrining women's reproductive rights was removed from the declaration over opposition from the Vatican backed by Russia and nations from the Middle East and Latin America.
'No leadership'
The UN had billed the summit as a "once in a generation chance" to turn the global economy onto a sustainable track.
"It absolutely did not do that," said Barbara Stocking, chief executive of Oxfam GB.
"We had the leaders of the world here, but they really did not take decisions that will take us forward," she told the BBC.
"It was a real lack of action that is very worrying, because we know how difficult the situation is in much of the world in terms of environment and poverty, and they did not show the leadership we needed them to bring."
The president of the most impoverished country in the western hemisphere, Haiti's President Michel Martelly, said the summit could have delivered more.
"I feel like these poor countries, these countries that are always being hit by catastrophe - things have not changed much," he told the BBC.
"So on this summit I will say that much more effort needs to be done so we can correctly and precisely come out with resolutions that will have an impact on the lives of people being affected."
Cash concern
Developing countries had argued that they needed financial assistance in order to meet the costs of switching onto a green development path.
But with the US in an election year and the EU deep in eurozone mire, any mention of specific sums was blocked.
As a consequence, developing countries refused to let the declaration endorse green economics as the definitive sustainable development path.
Prof Jeffrey Sachs, the Columbia University economist and special adviser to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, said support was needed.
"Those of us who look at this day in, day out know that many poor countries need that kind of help," he said.
"And it does not do any good to cite large ambitious promises many years out, and then behind the scenes to say 'we're not going to talk about how they're going to be fulfilled."
But Lisa Jackson, Administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and deputy head of the US delegation here, said the US was fully behind the "green economy" - and that the summit could help deliver the vision.
"The negotiated document, which is really the first time we have a multilateral document that talks about the green economy that has broad-based support - that is a big push," she said.
"But probably more important are the connections that are being made between businesses large and small, civil society, academia and of course governments at the national and sub-national level - all those things are pushing the green economy forwards."
Norwegian would
The need to put the world on a sustainable track, and the perils of not doing so, were outlined most influentially in a 1987 commission chaired by Gro Harlem Brundtland, then prime minister of Norway.
Speaking to BBC News in Rio, she reflected on the lack of real progress since then.
"Obviously when you look back 25 years now, less than one would have expected has happened - that's clear - but you can't think you can turn the world round in 25 years," she said.
She said there were "complex reasons" why governments had been unable to take the vision further - including the power of corporations.
"I think [the allegation] is justified - it's not the whole truth but it certainly is a big part of it," she said.
"In our political system, corporations, businesses and people who have economic power influence political decision-makers - that's a fact, and so it's part of the analysis."
The next key date on the sustainable development journey is 2015.
The sustainable development goals should be decided and declared by then; also, the UN climate convention will have what some, with trepidation, are calling its "next Copenhagen" - the summit that should in theory usher in a new global agreement with some legal force to tackle global warming.
(BBC) - By Richard Black
The UN sustainable development summit in Brazil has ended with world leaders adopting a political declaration hammered out a few days previously.
Environment and development charities say the Rio+20 agreement is too weak to tackle social and environmental crises.
Gro Harlem Brundtland, author of a major UN sustainable development report 25 years ago, said corporate power was one reason for lack of progress.
Nations will spend three years drawing up sustainable development goals.
They will also work towards better protection for marine life on the high seas.
But moves to eliminate subsidies on fossil fuels - recommended in a number of authoritative reports as likely to boost economies and curb CO2 emissions - came to naught.
Plans to enshrine the right of poor people to have clean water, adequate food and modern forms of energy also foundered or were seriously weakened during the six days of preparatory talks.
And many governments were bitter that text enshrining women's reproductive rights was removed from the declaration over opposition from the Vatican backed by Russia and nations from the Middle East and Latin America.
'No leadership'
The UN had billed the summit as a "once in a generation chance" to turn the global economy onto a sustainable track.
"It absolutely did not do that," said Barbara Stocking, chief executive of Oxfam GB.
"We had the leaders of the world here, but they really did not take decisions that will take us forward," she told the BBC.
"It was a real lack of action that is very worrying, because we know how difficult the situation is in much of the world in terms of environment and poverty, and they did not show the leadership we needed them to bring."
The president of the most impoverished country in the western hemisphere, Haiti's President Michel Martelly, said the summit could have delivered more.
"I feel like these poor countries, these countries that are always being hit by catastrophe - things have not changed much," he told the BBC.
"So on this summit I will say that much more effort needs to be done so we can correctly and precisely come out with resolutions that will have an impact on the lives of people being affected."
Cash concern
Developing countries had argued that they needed financial assistance in order to meet the costs of switching onto a green development path.
But with the US in an election year and the EU deep in eurozone mire, any mention of specific sums was blocked.
As a consequence, developing countries refused to let the declaration endorse green economics as the definitive sustainable development path.
Prof Jeffrey Sachs, the Columbia University economist and special adviser to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, said support was needed.
"Those of us who look at this day in, day out know that many poor countries need that kind of help," he said.
"And it does not do any good to cite large ambitious promises many years out, and then behind the scenes to say 'we're not going to talk about how they're going to be fulfilled."
But Lisa Jackson, Administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and deputy head of the US delegation here, said the US was fully behind the "green economy" - and that the summit could help deliver the vision.
"The negotiated document, which is really the first time we have a multilateral document that talks about the green economy that has broad-based support - that is a big push," she said.
"But probably more important are the connections that are being made between businesses large and small, civil society, academia and of course governments at the national and sub-national level - all those things are pushing the green economy forwards."
Norwegian would
The need to put the world on a sustainable track, and the perils of not doing so, were outlined most influentially in a 1987 commission chaired by Gro Harlem Brundtland, then prime minister of Norway.
Speaking to BBC News in Rio, she reflected on the lack of real progress since then.
"Obviously when you look back 25 years now, less than one would have expected has happened - that's clear - but you can't think you can turn the world round in 25 years," she said.
She said there were "complex reasons" why governments had been unable to take the vision further - including the power of corporations.
"I think [the allegation] is justified - it's not the whole truth but it certainly is a big part of it," she said.
"In our political system, corporations, businesses and people who have economic power influence political decision-makers - that's a fact, and so it's part of the analysis."
The next key date on the sustainable development journey is 2015.
The sustainable development goals should be decided and declared by then; also, the UN climate convention will have what some, with trepidation, are calling its "next Copenhagen" - the summit that should in theory usher in a new global agreement with some legal force to tackle global warming.
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