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U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, right, and Edmond Mulet, the acting chief of the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Haiti, visit the collapsed U.N. headquarters in Port-au-Prince, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2010. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) — The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon arrived on Sunday in Port-au-Prince, the capital of Caribbean nation Haiti, which was destroyed by a Tuesday quake that registered 7.3 on the Richter scale.

Ban came to see first hand the effects of the catastrophe, to show solidarity to Haiti\’s citizens and to the UN\’s workers, as well as to help boost the speed of aid distribution in the nation.

He began with an inspection of the UN headquarters in Port-au-Prince, which collapsed in the quake killing both Hedi Annabi, the UN\’s special representative in Haiti, and his deputy Luiz Carlos da Costa alongside dozens of UN staff.

Annabi, a Tunisian who led the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (Minustah), was found dead on Saturday by Chinese rescue workers in the ruins of the building.

Ban also met quake survivors, telling them that rescue teams and international aid are being accelerated.

\”I am here with a message of hope, that aid is already on the way,\” said Ban, a South Korean, during a press conference at the National Palace, the presidential seat.

During the same conference, Haiti\’s Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive estimated that around 100,000 people had died due to the quake and that more than 90 percent of the nation\’s buildings are damaged, adding that these were estimates and not final figures.

At a separate Sunday meeting with Spain\’s Deputy Prime Minister Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega, Ban proposed a special UN-backed European Union mission to Haiti, which shares the island of Hispaniola with former Spanish colony the Dominican Republic. Spain is the current holder of the rotating, six-month EU presidency.

The UN is evaluating the opening of a so-called humanitarian corridor linking the Dominican Republic and Haiti, in order to boost the number of sources of aid, given that Port-au-Prince airport has been overwhelmed by the large number of planes arriving from across the world.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon visits the collapsed U.N. headquarters in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2010. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon visits the collapsed U.N. headquarters in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2010.(Xinhua/AFP Photo)

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UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) — The United Nations has so far extended food assistance to 60,000 people in the capital of Haiti, which was struck by a catastrophic earthquake last week, with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expected to touch down in the capital Port-au-Prince on Sunday afternoon.

Within 24 hours of the Jan. 12 tremors, the UN World Food Program (WFP) had started distributing food and ultimately aims to reach 2 million people as part of its emergency program.

By Saturday night, it had fed at least 60,000 people impacted by the 7.0-magnitude earthquake, which is believed to have affected one third of Haiti\’s 9-million strong population, with ready-to-eat meals.

Given the security and logistical issues in transporting and delivering food in the capital, which was hit hardest by the tremors, WPF flew over Port-au-Prince on Saturday and Friday, as well as conducting on-the-ground inspections, to determine possible locations for food distributions, which require military escorts from the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH).

\”We are mobilizing all available resources to provide urgently needed food assistance as part of a swift and coordinated recovery effort,\” said WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran.

Late on Saturday, the secretary-general announced with deep sadness that the top UN officials in Haiti perished in Tuesday\’s tremors.

In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Ban paid tribute to his special representative to Haiti, Hedi Annabi, as well as his Deputy Luiz Carlos da Costa and Acting Police Commissioner Doug Coates of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

\”In every sense of the word, they gave their lives for peace,\” he said.

\”Our hearts are with them, the families and friends of Hedi, Luiz, Doug and the many other UN heroes who gave their lives for Haiti and for the highest ideals of the United Nations,\” Ban said.

But \”even weakened, MINUSTAH is operational,\” said Edmond Mulet, former UN special representative to Haiti and current assistant-secretary-general for peacekeeping operations, who was dispatched to the country to assume full command of the mission immediately after the quake struck.

Mulet, who is in charge of coordinating the massive aid effort, underscored the importance of collaboration between blue helmets and United States troops — nearly 3,500 of whom will soon be deployed in Haiti — to maximize efforts to provide relief.

The UN and its partners launched an appeal on Friday for 562 million U.S. dollars to help the victims of the earthquake, which has left basic services on the brink of collapse in Port-au-Prince. The UN estimates that 10 percent of the buildings in the city have been destroyed, leaving 300,000 people homeless, and many are fleeing the destruction.

The funds are intended to assist an estimated 3 million affected people over a period of six months, with half of the funds being earmarked for emergency food aid, with the rest targeted at health, water, sanitation, nutrition, early recovery, emergency education and other key needs.

TOKYO, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) — Foreign ministers and senior diplomats from 34 East Asian and Latin American countries gathered Saturday in the Japanese capital to discuss issues facing the international community and both regions at the Forum for East Asia-Latin America Cooperation (FEALAC).

Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama addresses the opening ceremony of the Forum for East Asia-Latin America Cooperation (FEALAC), in Tokyo, capital of Japan, Jan. 16, 2010. (Xinhua/Ren Zhenglai)

In his opening speech, Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama extended sympathy to people in quake-hit Haiti.

\”Japan should offer maximum possible cooperation at moments like this,\” he said.

\”East Asian and Latin American countries shall continue to be the source of the future economic growth,\” Hatoyama said.

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi (C, front) attends the opening ceremony of the Forum for East Asia-Latin America Cooperation (FEALAC), in Tokyo, capital of Japan, Jan. 16, 2010. (Xinhua/Ren Zhenglai)

\”I believe that deepening cooperation with our Latin American friends is extremely meaningful,\” he said, adding that in this regard, the FEALAC foreign ministers\’ meeting taking place here is of great significance.

During the two-day FEALAC foreign ministers\’ meeting, discussions will be held on such issues as environment and sustainable development, economic and financial crisis, and social linclusion such as reducing disparities.

The ministers will also exchange views on methods of promoting exchange between Asia and Latin America.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu said at a regular briefing in Beijing on Friday that China expects good results from the FEALAC foreign ministers\’ meeting and has played an active part in the forum, having hosted economic and trade, culture and education events.

China will \”work with other parties in the forum to benefit the peoples of both regions,\” Jiang said.

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, present at the meeting, is scheduled to meet several of his counterparts from the two regions on the sidelines of the forum.

Initiated in 1999, the forum is an international framework consisting of 33 countries including 15 countries in Asia and 18 in Latin America, with the purpose of strengthening cooperative relations in a wide variety of areas between Asia and Latin America.

Mongolia is taking part in the meeting for the first time along with 15 other Asian nations including China, Japan and South Korea.

UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) — Along with the hundreds missing from Haiti\’s earthquake, apparently so too have the Haitian National Police (HNP), said the spokesperson for the United Nations peacekeeping force here Thursday.

\”The National Haitian Police are not visible at all,\” said David Wimhurst via a video conference from Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti. \”They\’ve simply vanished.\”

\”Don\’t forget that they\’re Haitian too and their family homes have been smashed up or destroyed and their family members have been killed or destroyed, so they\’re acting to look after their nearest and dearest,\” he added.

With no visible presence of the police force, the United Nations and the international community have been tasked with securing law and order since the 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck on Tuesday.

Currently, the United Nations has 3,000 police and military peacekeepers in Port-au-Prince and by later Thursday 3,500 troops form the United States are expected to arrive.

The UN mission in Haiti, known as MINUSTAH, can request additional security support from the UN Secretariat should security deteriorate, but so far it\’s not necessary, said Wimhurst.

\”We will, if necessary, bring troops or police from the outside areas into Port-au-Prince,\” he said.

However, while the security situation appears to be relatively calm with just a few reports of looting, Wimhurst said, tensions are beginning to heat up.

Thousands of Haitians have been left to fend for themselves. With no shelter, they have taken to the streets, sleeping among slabs of broken concrete. Tons of medicine, food and tents have been slowly arriving in Haiti but access has been difficult, said Wimhurst.

With limited assistance, many are beginning to get \”angry and impatient,\” said David, adding that if time goes by with little progress, \”tempers might become frayed.\”

Kim Bolduc, the humanitarian coordinator in Haiti, also said there is a risk of social unrest. Haitians on the streets are asking for help to gather bodies, dispose of them and carry the injured to medical facilities, she said.

She noted that once the World Food Program begins to distribute food the situation might calm down. There is enough relief support for about a week, she added.

\”People are in a state of shock,\” she said. \”They\’re waiting for something to happen.\”

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UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) — Haiti is in badly need of doctors and medical supplies, the top United Nations humanitarian coordinator said here on Thursday.

\”The local medical infrastructure is both badly damaged and overwhelmed by the number of injuries,\” said John Holmes. \”It\’s a top priority to get more doctors in there, more medical teams, field hospitals and more medical supplies to make sure we can tackle that problem.\”

After that, the basic needs are water, food and emergency shelters, added Holmes.

As rescue teams from several countries, including China and the United States, sweep Haiti\’s capital, Port-au-Prince, in search ofpeople who might be buried alive from Tuesday\’s earthquake, the UN family has been leading relief efforts.

Aid has been pouring in from around the world but an overwhelmed airport, among other problems with infrastructure, has delayed distribution, Holmes said.

\”The blockage is in the arrival of aid,\” he told reporters. \”There is a a large number of planes trying to get in there.\”

The international airport was reopened on Wednesday after the U.S. military was able to take charge of a temporary control tower. The original one collapsed during the earthquake.

Haiti\’s main seaport was not as lucky. \”Certainly damaged,\” the port is surrounded by debris in the water which could make access difficult, said Holmes, noting that shipping in aid might be cheaper than air cargo in the long-term.

Holmes praised the international community\’s quick response to such a massive and devastating tragedy.

The United Nations is expected on Friday to launch a flash appeal for international assistance in the amount of hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars. However, like any flash appeal, said Holmes, the sum asked for will be rough and will most likely be revised in three or four weeks.

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JAKARTA, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) — ASEAN Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan expressed condolence on Friday over the devastating earthquake in Haiti that may have left estimated 50,000 people dead and caused massive destruction.

\”I am saddened to learn about the extensive loss and damage that the earthquake has caused in Port-au-Prince. My thoughts and prayers are with the people of Haiti in their time of grief,\” Surin said in a statement.

The Foreign Ministers of ten ASEAN member states, who are meeting in Viet Nam, also expressed their deep sympathies to the victims of the earthquake, adding that each of their respective governments would take appropriate action to send assistance to Haiti.

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GENEVA, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) — The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) created a website for survivors of Haiti\’s earthquake, a spokesperson said Thursday in Geneva.

The website, www.icrc.org/familylinks, allows survivors to log in, register, and look for loved ones who may be missing or feared dead.

ICRC spokesperson Marcal Izard said that there are already 1,360 entries in the website\’s database. Izard told Reuters that of the total, just 148 came from Haiti, with the rest mainly from the United States and Canada.

With telephone lines cut and a lack of internet access, Haiti\’s communication is at a standstill.

The family links website was first used during the conflict in Bosnia in the early 1990s.

The Geneva-based ICRC was founded in 1863 and has offices in 80 countries.

http://www.ceshq.com

UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) — At least 36 UN staff members were confirmed dead in the devastating earthquake which struck Haiti on Tuesday, a spokesman for the UN mission in Haiti told reporters here Thursday.

Speaking to reporters via video link from Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti, David Wimhurst, a senior official with the UN mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), said among the dead were four police officers, 19 military personnel and 13 civilian staff members.

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UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) — UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Wednesday stressed the importance of cooperation between the 192-nation world body and regional and subregional organizations in maintaining international peace and security.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon speaks during a debate of the UN Security Council at the UN headquarters in New York, Jan. 13, 2010. The UN Security Council on Wednesday discussed ways of further enhancing cooperation between the United Nations and regional and sub-regional organizations in maintaining international peace and security and tackling global crises.(Xinhua/Shen Hong)

The secretary-general made the statement when speaking to an open Council meeting on cooperation between the United Nations and regional and subregional organizations.

This week\’s retreat with the heads of regional organizations on how to coordinate efforts has provided food for thought and specific ideas for strengthening cooperation, Ban said.

He said that the participants at the retreat have identified areas where there is room for improvement, including coordination and communication between their respective inter-governmental bodies and secretariats.

The Un Security Council holds a debate at the UN headquarters in New York, Jan. 13, 2010. The UN Security Council on Wednesday discussed ways of further enhancing cooperation between the United Nations and regional and sub-regional organizations in maintaining international peace and security and tackling global crises. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)

Among other things, he said, they discussed the need for better clarity in mediation arrangements; the right balance between flexibility and efficiency in peacekeeping deployments; the importance of ensuring that humanitarian assistance reaches those in need in a timely manner; and the need to increase cooperation on peacebuilding.

Also taking the floor at the Council session were heads of such regional organizations as the League of Arab States, African Union, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the Collective Security Treaty Organizations, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the Organization of American States, the Organization of the Islamic Conference and Shanghai Cooperation Organization.?

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UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) — The world\’s 370 million indigenous peoples suffer from disproportionately, often exponentially, higher rates of poverty, health problems, crime and human rights abuses, the first ever United Nations study on the issue reported here Thursday.

The report stressed that self-determination and land rights are vital for their survival. Startling figures contained in The State of the World\’s Indigenous Peoples include:

In the United States, a Native American is 600 times more likely to contract tuberculosis and 62 percent more likely to commit suicide than the general population.

In Australia, an indigenous child can expect to die 20 years earlier than his non-native compatriot. The life expectancy gap is also 20 years in Nepal, while in Guatemala it is 13 years and in New Zealand it is 11.

In parts of Ecuador, indigenous people have 30 times greater risk of throat cancer than the national average.

Worldwide, more than 50 percent of indigenous adults suffer from Type 2 diabetes — a number predicted to rise.

\”Every day, indigenous communities all over the world face issues of violence and brutality, continuing assimilation policies, dispossession of land, marginalization, forced removal or relocation, denial of land rights, impacts of large-scale development, abuses by military forces and a host of other abuses,\” the report\’s authors said at a news release here.

Although indigenous peoples make up only 5 percent of the global population, they constitute around one third of the world\’s900 million extremely poor rural people. In both developed and developing countries, poor nutrition, limited access to care, lack of resources crucial to maintaining health and well-being and contamination of natural resources are all contributing factors to the terrible state of indigenous health worldwide.

At the report\’s launch at the UN Headquarters in New York, UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues Chairperson Vicki Tauli-Corpuz said its value would be far-reaching because it comprises for the first time very clearly aggregated data.

\”We believe this is going to be crucial for Governments and for the UN to address more seriously and comprehensively the issues of indigenous people,\” she told the news conference. \”It\’s very daring and bold in a sense because it does identify countries and the situation of indigenous peoples in various countries both in the developed world as well as in the developing world.\”

Indigenous peoples experience disproportionately high levels of maternal and infant mortality, malnutrition, cardiovascular illnesses, HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis (TB), while suicide rates, particularly among youth, are considerably higher in many countries, for example up to 11 times the national average for the Inuit in Canada. The Inuit TB rate is over 150 times higher.