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The United Nations has ‘moral responsibility’ to tackle Haiti cholera – Ban Ki-moon
The United Nations (UN) has a “moral responsibility” to help Haiti end a devastating cholera outbreak, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said. The cholera has been confirmed as having been caused by peacekeepers attributed to the international organization.
Ban spoke to reporters ahead of a visit to Haiti due to begin Monday during which he is set to visit families affected by cholera.
The United Nations has so far denied any responsibility over the outbreak that has killed more than 8 000 people and infected more than 700 000. There had been no cholera in Haiti for at least 150 years until it was allegedly introduced by United Nations peacekeepers sent there in the wake of the devastating January 2010 earthquake.
The source of the cholera epidemic was traced to a river that runs next to a UN camp in the central town of Mirebalais, where the peace keepers had been based.
“Regardless of what the legal implication may be, as the secretary-general of the United Nations and as a person, I feel very sad,” Ban told reporters. “I believe that the international community, including the United Nations, has a moral responsibility to help the Haitian people stem the further spread of this cholera epidemic.”
The United Nations has so far failed to offer an apology or compensation for the outbreak, even as three different lawsuits have been filed in court.
“The diplomatic difficulties surrounding this issue must be overcome to ensure the Haitian people that the epidemic can be stopped in the shortest possible time frame and pay full compensation for the damages suffered,” the UN’s human rights expert on Haiti Gustavo Gallon said.
“The international community has been struggling to overcome this global financial difficulty, and we have so many crises happening at the same time around the world,” said Ban. “That is one reason why we have not been able to effectively mobilize.”
In Haiti, Ban will meet with President Michel Martelly and lawmakers in the capital Port-au-Prince, as well as meet with leaders from the UN mission MINUSTAH, according to the UN chief’s office.
Haiti is also wrestling with political instability after the earthquake that killed between 200,000 and 250,000 people and displaced another 1.5 million from their homes. Legislative due for later this year elections had been delayed for three years as the country struggles to get back on its feet.