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UN warns humanitarian funding cuts endanger lives; Haiti reports suspected cholera cases
Summary
UN officials warned that severe funding shortfalls are undermining humanitarian responses worldwide, with UNHCR and partners reporting cuts that reduce services for refugees and host communities. The briefing also reported new suspected cholera cases in Haiti and low vaccination and WASH funding levels.
The United Nations warned that recent cuts to humanitarian funding threaten lives and critical services, and the UN also reported new suspected cholera cases in Haiti where response capacity is strained.
Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (cited in the briefing), said that brutal funding cuts in the humanitarian sector are putting millions of lives at risk and "the consequences for people fleeing danger will be immediate and devastating." Grandi said that reductions in services were already affecting refugee women and girls at risk, children losing access to education and protection, and communities losing shelter, water and food.
Separately, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that since the beginning of the year more than 900 suspected cholera cases and four confirmed cases had been reported across Haiti, with more than 100 suspected cases in Cité Soleil in the past three weeks. The briefing said the deteriorating security situation hindered access for surveillance teams and response efforts, raising concerns about undetected community transmission.
The briefing outlined a shortfall in funding for water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in Haiti: $3,600,000 received of a required $87,000,000. It also reported that fewer than 30% of health facilities with beds nationwide, and just over 40% in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area, were fully operational.
Ending note: UN officials called for urgent funding and security measures to sustain response efforts and warned that reduced capacity will have immediate humanitarian consequences.
