The United Nations has admitted for the first time that its peacekeepers in Haiti played a role in the outbreak of the cholera epidemic in the aftermath of the devastating 2010 quake that sent the poverty-stricken Caribbean nation into a tailspin. The illness causes dehydration and can lead to death, sometimes in just a few hours, if left untreated. The patient loses so much fluid so quickly that the disease can prove fatal in a matter of days. It was likely introduced through a contingent United Nations peacekeepers, according to a study by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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At a briefing Thursday, U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq said that over the course of the past year, “the U.N. has become convinced that it needs to do much more regarding its own involvement in the initial outbreak and the suffering of those affected by cholera”. The UN says it is considering several options.
“It provides highly combustible fuel for those who claim that United Nations peacekeeping operations trample on the rights of those being protected, and it undermines both the U.N.’s overall credibility and the integrity of the Office of the Secretary-General”, Alston wrote in the report. But that claim conflicts with the testimony of health experts who say that the world organization has consistently dropped the ball over the cholera epidemic.
It can choose to accept the findings of the report or adjust the findings after discussions with Haiti and other member countries.
“We’re trying to figure out how to resolve this”, Haq said Thursday, “figuring out how to do the right thing”.
As the Times noted, the United Nations did not walk back its claim of immunity in its acknowledgement of some responsibility in the outbreak.
Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson said on CNN’s “Amanpour” on Thursday that the United Nations is seeking to combine “an element of compassion” with the organization’s strict legal position on immunity for actions of peacekeepers.
An independent panel appointed by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, however, concluded that the outbreak was “not the fault of, or deliberate action of, a group or individual”, in a May 2011 report.
In the past, United Nations member countries have feared heavy financial obligations for Haiti and other cases that could arise around the world. Beatrice Lindstrom of the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti said, “this is a groundbreaking first step for justice”.
Linstrom added that the real test of the UN’s intentions was what comes next.
Lawyers said the remarks were a victory for victims of cholera in Haiti.
“It is still, though, far from being a formal apology”, she added. He called on the United Nations to “support the development of solutions that prevent disease transmission and provide treatment for the thousands of people suffering from this deadly scourge”. Cholera is transmitted through contaminated drinking water and causes acute diarrhoea.
However, Mr Haq reiterated that the UN’s legal position in on diplomatic immunity and possible compensation “has not changed”.
At one point in the long-running saga, Ban was served on a NY sidewalk with legal papers regarding the case.
In his statement, the UN’s deputy spokesman said: “The UN has been heavily engaged in cholera eradication since the 2010 outbreak”.
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Five U.N. human rights experts criticized the United Nations in a letter to top U.N. officials late previous year for its “effective denial of the fundamental right of the victims of cholera to justice”.
