The United Nations has become convinced it needs to do much more to remedy the damage caused by a 2010 cholera outbreak in Haiti that scientists claim was introduced to the island by Nepalese peacekeepers. Cholera has claimed the lives of more than 9,000 Haitians in the past six years and new infections continue to be reported.
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After five years of denial, the United Nations has admitted its part in bringing cholera to Haiti during disaster relief measures following the 2010 quake that devastated the country.
Brian Concannon, executive director of the Boston-based Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti, said advocates for Haitian cholera victims will be watching the U.N.’s actions closely. It is also demanding that the United Nations issue a public apology and ensure that cholera is eradicated in Haiti by investing in water and sanitation infrastructure. An independent panel commissioned by Ban in 2011 to examine the epidemic concluded that it could not determine how the cholera was introduced to Haiti.
Cholera, which had not been documented in Haiti in nearly 100 years before the 2010 outbreak, is an infection that causes severe diarrhea that can lead to dehydration and death, and is caused by poor sanitation.
The peacekeeping missions that were audited-in Haiti, the Darfur region of Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast, Lebanon, Liberia and South Sudan-all practiced varying degrees of “unsatisfactory” waste management. They have three months to make up their mind over whether to file an appeal to the US Supreme Court or not.
In response, the rights group filed a class action lawsuit in a federal court in NY.
In a decision late on Thursday, the US Second Circuit Court of Appeals in NY upheld a lower court’s January 2015 dismissal of a lawsuit brought by lawyers seeking compensation and a public apology for 5,000 Haitian cholera victims.
For decades, the UN has stood by the Haitian people, supporting them in their quest for democracy and the strengthening of their institutions and helping to rebuild the nation after the tragic quake of 2010, the statement said and added: “The secretary-general and the United Nations as a whole are determined to continue this support, honour the people of Haiti and help them usher in a more peaceful and prosperous future”.
“We have considered all of plaintiffs’ arguments on appeal and find them to be without merit”, the USA appellate judges said.
“The United Nations also intends to intensify its support to reduce, and ultimately end, the transmission of cholera, improve access to care and treatment and address the longer-term issues of water, sanitation and health systems in Haiti”, said the statement.
Since the outbreak began in 2010, the United Nations has said it has worked to tackle cholera in Haiti and the neighboring Dominican Republic, through a multi-billion donor aid program to improve sanitation and an oral vaccine program against cholera.
Six years on, the bacteria is far from eradicated in Haiti. However, less than a quarter of the amount has been raised.
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Farhan Haq, the deputy spokesman for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, promised a “significant new set of UN actions” to respond to the epidemic, following a confidential report sent to the UN chief that was critical of the world body’s actions.
