Almost two years after the January 12, 2010, Haiti is showing signs of progress, but hundreds of thousands of people still need help, the UN’s Humanitarian Coordinator Nigel Fisher has warned.

Speaking to reporters in New York and Geneva ahead of the 2012 appeal launch for Haiti, Mr. Fisher said investment in recovery efforts and long-term development were the solution to many of the problems the country faces today.

These efforts, however, "take time and the humanitarian crisis is not yet over," Mr. Fisher said, highlighting a number of critical challenges still facing in the country.

Over half a million people still live in camps for the internally displaced, making them vulnerable to new major natural hazards.

Within the last two years, a cholera epidemic claimed more than 6,700 lives, and rising food and fuel prices have threatened hundreds of thousands of Haitians with malnutrition and economic hardship.

Next year, US$231 million will be required to address immediate unmet needs and carry out longer-term projects. More than $53 million will go towards providing better shelter and managing existing camps. Health, sanitation and hygiene projects will require some $68 million to carry out life-saving prevention and vaccination campaigns.

Cluster Funds required ($)

• Emergency shelter, non-food items and coordination and camp management $53 945 246

• Agriculture $15 948 310

• Food aid $19 427 327

• Coordination and Support Services $5 503 353

• Water, Hygiene and Sanitation (EHA/WASH) $35 047 302

• Education $7 300 002

• Logistics $10 600 000

• Nutrition $12 925 609

• Protection $26 583 403

• Immediate recovery $8 969 025

• Health $33 471 702

• Telecommunication $823 545

Grand Total 230 544 824$

Haiti's progress needed to be put in context, Mr. Fisher added. For example, almost 50 percent of the earthquake debris, equivalent to five million cubic metres, had been cleared in two years. By contrast, it took more than five years to remove 1.3 million cubic meters in Aceh, following the 2004 tsunami.

The 2012 Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP) for Haiti and several other countries will be officially launched in Geneva on December 14, 2011.

HL/ HaitiLibre