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The United Nations has warned that efforts to tackle Haiti's worsening economic and political crisis, coupled with spiralling violence, remain inadequate, with its response plan for the country receiving the lowest funding worldwide, Al Jazeera reported.
Speaking at a briefing on Tuesday, UN coordinator Ulrika Richardson said the organisation hopes to raise more than USD 900 million for Haiti this year, but the effort is currently just 9.2 per cent funded. "We have tools, but the response from the international community is just not at par with the gravity on the ground," Richardson said, as cited by Al Jazeera. The funding shortfall highlights global concerns over fading international support for Haiti, which is grappling with violence as heavily armed gangs fight for control of territory and resources amid deepening political and economic instability, Al Jazeera reported. Richardson noted that by comparison, a USD 2.63 billion appeal for Ukraine is 38 per cent funded, and a USD 4 billion appeal for the occupied Palestinian territories has reached 22 per cent of its target. According to Al Jazeera, more than 1.3 million people have been displaced by the violence in Haiti this year, while over 3,100 have been killed. Since the assassination of former president Jovenel Moise in July 2021, armed gangs, some with ties to influential political and economic figures, have seized large parts of Port-au-Prince. The UN has stressed that halting the flow of arms, largely smuggled from the US state of Florida, is critical to ending the bloodshed, alongside imposing sanctions on networks connected to the gangs. "Haiti can quickly spiral up again, but the violence needs to end," Richardson said. Despite these calls, international initiatives have produced limited results, with some Haitians expressing scepticism due to a history of damaging foreign interventions, Al Jazeera reported. A UN-backed policing mission led mainly by Kenyan officers has so far failed to restore order or dismantle the gangs. Earlier this month, Haiti's government declared a three-month state of emergency covering the West, Centre and Artibonite departments. (ANI)
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