New York, 19 August 2021 – The Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, Achim Steiner, is in Haiti, with the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Amina Mohammed.

The Administrator will meet with government officials, members of civil society, United Nations Country Team and will visit the areas affected by a 7.2-magnitude earthquake last Saturday. 

One particular focus of the trip will be the importance to build on the lessons learned from the January 2010 earthquake and to mobilize the United Nations and partners from the international community to invest in national and local capacities to build forward better, to respond to the immediate emergency and the longer-term structural challenges as well as the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This latest earthquake, and the lessons from the 2010 Haiti earthquake response, present an opportunity to accelerate efforts to address underlying risks and the root causes of recurrent crises. UNDP has worked in Haiti for over 40 years and stands ready to help in the short term and will remain in Haiti for the long-term to help with crisis response, recovery, and the return to the path of development, drawing on our vast experience in crisis situations.

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For media inquiries, please contact:

In New York:
Dylan Lowthian, dylan.lowthian@undp.org, cel +1 646 6736350
In Panama:
Vanessa Hidalgo, Vanessa.hidalgo@undp.org,  cel +1 646 3389462
In Haiti:
Ruvens Ely Boyer, ruvens-ely.boyer@undp.org, cel +509 48948534
Borja Lopetegui, borja.lopetegui-gonzalez@undp.org cel + 50931234002