UNITED NATIONS, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Due to a volatile security situation in Haiti, the United Nations is withdrawing non-essential personnel, a UN spokesman said on Wednesday.
"Based on the outcome of a revised Security Risk Management Process, we will be reducing the footprint of non-essential personnel," said Stephane Dujarric, chief spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. "The UN is not leaving Haiti. Colleagues who carry out life-saving activities will remain in Haiti to continue operations. We continue to monitor the situation closely."
Dujarric's statement followed Tuesday's announcement after a Caribbean Community meeting in Kingston, Jamaica, of a proposed accord to end weeks of deadly gang violence.
It called for a presidential council and the appointment of an interim prime minister. Prime Minister Ariel Henry said he would resign upon the council's installation.
Dujarric's statement followed only a couple of hours after he said humanitarian access opened enough for a medical supply ship to sail from Port-au-Prince to the country's south.
"The first ship since Feb. 29 was able to leave Port-au-Prince for the port of Miragouane with seven trucks loaded with medicine and medical supplies for the health sector in the Grand Sud Department," the spokesman said. "The consignment seeks to reach more than 80 health facilities in the area."
Despite the sailing, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said it is extremely concerned by the impact of violence on civilians and aid operations. About 5.5 million people, nearly half the Caribbean nation's population, need humanitarian assistance.
The office said the world body and partners are doing everything they can to deliver assistance to those displaced by the violence while continuing their regular programs in other departments of the country.
Many of those in need are women and children. They are traumatized by what they saw. They feel unsafe and are exposed to many risks. They need emergency aid, as well as protected spaces, said OCHA. "And for that, we need safe and unhindered access."
The office said violence in the capital, Port-au-Prince, also affected humanitarian operations in other parts of the country, including by blocking maritime transport from Port-au-Prince to other regions. The maritime route is a key resource for aid organizations in other regions.
OCHA reports that the humanitarian response plan for Haiti worth 674 million U.S. dollars is just 2.6 percent funded.
