In Haiti, where he was just last weekend, the European Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, reconfirmed to the Haitian Prime Minister, Ariel Henry, that the EU was committed to standing by the Haitian people; he also emphasised the importance of the reforms to be carried out by the authorities.
Arriving in Port-au-Prince on 17 September, the European Commissioner witnessed the delivery of over 50 tonnes of humanitarian cargo provided by Slovenia and EU partner organisations to step up the humanitarian response to the earthquake that devastated the country on 14 August (see EUROPE 12778/17). Mr Lenarčič also met with representatives of the UN, NGOs and the EU delegation in Haiti.
“I saw how huge the needs were. I also saw the determination of humanitarians. But the country must act on security and political fronts. The Haitian people have suffered now for too long. I talked about this and about donor fatigue”, said the Commissioner on Saturday 18 September.
He then added more details: “I also expressed support for the necessary reforms ahead as this is the only way for Haiti to start recovering and rise from this spiral of crises towards a resilient future for all its people”.
Since the earthquake, the EU has provided more than 177 tonnes of equipment to meet the most urgent needs of the local population. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)