Ban Seeks 'Vital' Aid to Rebuild Post-Quake Haiti
U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon on Thursday called for "vital" global support to rebuild Haiti two years after a catastrophic earthquake killed more than 200,000 people.
"The Secretary-General would like to honor the memory of the more than 200,000 people who perished in the tremor, including one hundred and two United Nations personnel," Ban's office said in a statement.
Ban urged the international community to press on with aid for the country -- the poorest in the Americas -- as it struggles to rebuild and find housing for hundreds of thousands of people still living in squalid tent camps.
"Despite considerable achievements, including in the areas of rubble removal and the resettlement of displaced persons, many Haitians remain in need of international assistance.
"The Secretary-General therefore calls on the international community to continue its vital support."
Ban spoke by phone Wednesday to Haiti's President Michel Martelly and "reiterated the United Nations' continued commitment to accompany the government and people of Haiti on the path to a secure and prosperous future."
The 7.0-magnitude earthquake on January 12, 2010 visited near-biblical destruction on Haiti, destroying much of the capital Port-au-Prince and leaving one in seven Haitians homeless.
Almost 520,000 survivors still live under tarpaulin in 800 camps dotted around the crowded Caribbean capital.
Source: Agence France Presse
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