Lawyers Without Borders Canada (LWBC), in collaboration with the Inter-University Institute for Research and Development (INURED), presented to UN experts and representatives and other key players in New York, a study on victims of cholera in Haiti.

Recall that Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the time unveiled in 2016 the UN strategy to fight against cholera in Haiti hhttps://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19550-haiti-politics-un-adopts-new-strategy-against-cholera-in-haiti.html and agreed that field consultations and further assessments would be needed to determine whether the material and financial assistance program could include a invidual component. Three years later, additional consultations and assessments for a possible individual assistance program were not carried out.

"This study fills a gap in the debate on the best ways for the UN to right the wrongs made by the cholera epidemic," said Pascal Paradis, Director General of LWBC "This is the first study to combine a rigorous field survey on the needs and expectations of victims with an in-depth analysis of the feasibility of individualized assistance to victims of cholera in the light of international human rights standards, medical considerations and compared experiences of other large-scale assistance programs. While it is true that the community approach can reach a large number of victims, it can be complemented by individual assistance for those most severely affected by this epidemic."

This study presents information from INURED's field survey of victims with national and international experts.

It emerges among others :

• That the needs, expectations and concerns of cholera victims should be at the heart of any material or financial assistance intended for them;

• That the victims consulted want an UN response that would combine both projects for communities and assistance targeting the specific needs of those most affected by cholera;

• That it is possible to implement an individualized assistance mechanism that is simple, rigorous, transparent, inclusive and adapted to the contextual realities of Haiti that would complement the community approach currently favored by the United Nations.

This study will also be presented to Haitian authorities, victims and civil society organizations in Haiti in the coming weeks.

See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19550-haiti-politics-un-adopts-new-strategy-against-cholera-in-haiti.html

HL/ HaitiLibre