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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.

Special Report: Strong quake rocks Haiti?

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WASHINGTON, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) — In response to the magnitude-7.0 earthquake that caused extensive damage and casualties in Haiti, the World Bank said on Wednesday it will provide an additional 100 million dollars in emergency grant funding to support recovery and reconstruction in the Caribbean nation.

A Haitian soldier looks at the badly damaged presidential palace after an earthquake in Port-au-Prince January 13, 2010. A major earthquake rocked Haiti, killing possibly thousands of people as it toppled the presidential palace and hillside shanties alike and left the Caribbean nation appealing for international help.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

\”This is a shocking event and it is crucial that the international community supports the Haitian people at this critical time,\” said World Bank President Robert B. Zoellick.

\”The World Bank is mobilizing significant financial assistance and sending a team to help assess damage and reconstruction needs. Our thoughts are with the people of Haiti, our staff, and our UN colleagues,\” he said.

In addition to new initiatives, the World Bank expects to utilize the capacity of existing projects, including those that focus on education and community-driven development, to provide assistance quickly and effectively.

The World Bank is sending experts to work with the Haitian government and its international partners to assess needs and losses and plan for recovery and reconstruction.

The Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) has allocated 250,000 dollars for this assessment. The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank Group\’s private sector arm, stands ready to work with the private sector on reconstruction and is contacting its clients in Haiti to identify ways it can work with them to play a role in the reconstruction effort.

Photo taken on Jan. 13 shows houses knocked down by the earthquake in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

Going forward, the World Bank plans to provide seed resources to establish a multi-donor trust fund, the Haiti Reconstruction Fund, to mobilize international support for recovery and reconstruction process.

The new 100 million dollar funding is subject to approval by the World Bank\’s Board of Directors.

There are currently 14 main World Bank projects active in Haiti in areas including disaster risk management, infrastructure, community-driven development, education, and economic governance. All current World Bank assistance to Haiti is in grant form.

UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) — At least 16 UN personnel were killed in an earthquake that struck Haiti\’s capital of Port au Prince on Tuesday, UN Secretary-general Ban Ki-moon said on Wednesday after an informal meeting of the General Assembly.

The 16 include 11 Brazilian peacekeepers, one Argentinean, three Jordanian police officers, and one Chadian police officer, said Ban.

As this is only a preliminary figure, more casualties are expected, he added.

The UN has said that about 150 of its employees working there are still trapped in collapsed buildings and remain unaccounted for, including the mission chief Hedi Annabi and his deputy special representative Luiz Carlos da Costa.

According to reports from Haitian President Rene Preval, Hedi Annabi is dead. Ban said he has been trying to contact Preval since early Wednesday morning.

\”I have only been able to speak with the ambassador here,\” Leo Merores, who has been trying to arrange for a telephone call. However, no one at UN headquarters appears to have been able to reach Preval because communication lines are either down or overloaded.

\”But I am trying to reach him,\” said Ban.

In the meantime, Ban said he would be dispatching Edmond Mullet, a UN undersecretary general, to assume full command of the UN mission.

Thousands of Haitians are feared dead after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake hit the country on Tuesday. Many are still buried under the rubble of toppled buildings, said Ban, stressing the need for swift rescue operations.

\”People buried under the rubble are still alive,\” he said. \”We must save them, as many as possible and we must move immediately.\”

The UN is expected to issue a flash appeal for aid in the coming days, said Ban. The UN has already released 10 million U.S. dollars from the emergency fund.

There is very serious problem of infrastructure and a lack of heavy equipment to help in search and rescue efforts, said Ban, who added that \”the situations seems to be very tough.\”

Ban said he spoke with U.S. President Barack Obama, who assured him that the United States will deploy all available resources to help in the relief efforts.

Ban praised the commitment and solidarity shown by UN personnel working in Haiti, where he traveled last year with former U.S. President and UN special envoy Bill Clinton.

Ban has said he is not going to Haiti immediately so as not to get in the way of rescue efforts. He said he will decide when to go after Mullet assesses the situation on the ground.

UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) — UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said here Wednesday that the \”most urgent need is emergency search and rescue\” in the wake of the deadly earthquake that jolted Haiti on Tuesday.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon speaks to reporters on the current situation after the earthquake in Haiti at U.N. headquarters in New York January 13, 2010. A major earthquake rocked Haiti January 12 and its president said he feared thousands were dead after the presidential palace, schools, hospitals and hillside shanties collapsed, leaving the Caribbean nation appealing for international help.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

Briefing the General Assembly on the emergency in Haiti, Ban told member states that a Chinese emergency rescue team had arrived in Haiti\’s capital, Port-au- Prince.

Two teams from the United States are expected to arrive by Wednesday night with two more by Thursday morning, Ban said.

Additional search and rescue teams are said to be arriving from Guadeloupe and the Dominican Republic with other rescue teams on their way from many other countries, he said.

\”In any emergency like this, the early hours and days are critical,\” Ban said. \”That is why I have directed the United Nations humanitarian agencies to mobilize swiftly and in close coordination with the international community.\”

\”In the next few days, we will issue a flash appeal for Haiti,\” Ban said, adding that he expected his humanitarian coordinators to assess the necessary needs and funding.

Ban said that he has ordered 10 million U.S. dollars to be released from the Central Emergency Fund (CERF) to kick start the relief efforts.

\”But if the days ahead are difficult, we can advance in hope ..guided by clear knowledge that, in this dark hour, the community of nations will unite in its resolve and help Haiti to overcome the latest trauma and begin the work of social and economic reconstruction that will carry this proud nation forward,\” Ban said.

Also speaking at Wednesday\’s General Assembly briefing was former U.S. President Bill Clinton, the special envoy for the United Nations in Haiti, who said a \”flash appeal\” for aid is needed.

\”We have got to find who\’s alive,\” Clinton said, adding that this has to be done on the ground.

\”Haiti\’s in trouble now,\” Clinton said, adding that \”what we need now is food, water, supplies for first aid, and shelter\” as well as long-term support from the international community.?

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Brazilian peacekeepers check the damage to the U.N. headquarters after an earthquake in Port-au-Prince January 13, 2010. Eleven Brazilian soldiers from a U.N. peacekeeping mission in Haiti were killed in the Caribbean country\’s huge earthquake, Brazil\’s army said in a statement on Wednesday. Brazil leads the U.N. peacekeeping force deployed to the poor Caribbean nation in 2004 after a rebellion by gangs and former soldiers forced elected Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide into exile.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) — At least 16 UN personnel were killed in an earthquake that struck Haiti\’s capital of Port au Prince on Tuesday, UN Secretary-general Ban Ki-moon said on Wednesday after an informal meeting of the General Assembly.

The 16 include 11 Brazilian peacekeepers, one Argentinean, three Jordanian police officers, and one Chadian police officer, said Ban.

As this is only a preliminary figure, more casualties are expected, he added.

The UN has said that about 150 of its employees working there are still trapped in collapsed buildings and remain unaccounted for, including the mission chief Hedi Annabi and his deputy special representative Luiz Carlos da Costa.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon speaks to media on the death toll of UN staffers in the devastating earthquake in Haiti, at the UN headquarters in New York, Jan. 13, 2010. At least 16 UN personnel were killed in the earthquake that struck Haiti, including 11 Brazilian peacekeepers, one Argentinean, three Jordanian police officers, and one Chadian police officer, said Ban.(xinhua/Shen Hong)

According to reports from Haitian President Rene Preval, Hedi Annabi is dead. Ban said he has been trying to contact Preval since early Wednesday morning.

\”I have only been able to speak with the ambassador here,\” Leo Merores, who has been trying to arrange for a telephone call. However, no one at UN headquarters appears to have been able to reach Preval because communication lines are either down or overloaded.

\”But I am trying to reach him,\” said Ban.

In the meantime, Ban said he would be dispatching Edmond Mullet, a UN undersecretary general, to assume full command of the UN mission.

Thousands of Haitians are feared dead after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake hit the country on Tuesday. Many are still buried under the rubble of toppled buildings, said Ban, stressing the need for swift rescue operations.

UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) — UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said here Wednesday that the \”most urgent need is emergency search and rescue\” in the wake of the deadly earthquake that jolted Haiti on Tuesday.

Briefing the General Assembly on the emergency in Haiti, Ban told member states that a Chinese emergency rescue team had arrived in Haiti\’s capital, Port-au- Prince.

Two teams from the United States are expected to arrive by Wednesday night with two more by Thursday morning, Ban said.

Additional search and rescue teams are said to be arriving from Guadeloupe and the Dominican Republic with other rescue teams on their way from many other countries, he said.

\”In any emergency like this, the early hours and days are critical,\” Ban said. \”That is why I have directed the United Nations humanitarian agencies to mobilize swiftly and in close coordination with the international community.\”

\”In the next few days, we will issue a flash appeal for Haiti,\” Ban said, adding that he expected his humanitarian coordinators to assess the necessary needs and funding.

Ban said that he has ordered 10 million U.S. dollars to be released from the Central Emergency Fund (CERF) to kick start the relief efforts.

\”But if the days ahead are difficult, we can advance in hope ..guided by clear knowledge that, in this dark hour, the community of nations will unite in its resolve and help Haiti to overcome the latest trauma and begin the work of social and economic reconstruction that will carry this proud nation forward,\” Ban said.

Also speaking at Wednesday\’s General Assembly briefing was former U.S. President Bill Clinton, the special envoy for the United Nations in Haiti, who said a \”flash appeal\” for aid is needed.

\”We have got to find who\’s alive,\” Clinton said, adding that this has to be done on the ground.

\”Haiti\’s in trouble now,\” Clinton said, adding that \”what we need now is food, water, supplies for first aid, and shelter\” as well as long-term support from the international community.

http://www.gtrip.net

UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) — The United Nations deals with humanitarian crises all the time but the devastating earthquake in Haiti has stricken especially close to home, said the head of UN peacekeeping forces Alain Le Roy here Wednesday.

With the number of fatalities among UN staff members rising, LeRoy said the emotion is \”extremely high.\”

The UN has confirmed 10 staff members dead but the figure could end up being \”the highest number of fatalities in the United Nations,\” said Le Roy.

At least 150 UN staff went missing, including the mission chief Hedi Annabi and his deputy special representative Luiz Carlos da Costa, after the 7.0-magnitude earthquake and a series of strong aftershocks hit on Tuesday.

\”This is one of the most horrible tragedies for a UN peacekeeping mission,\” said Le Roy. \”We are receiving volunteers from other UN missions, who are offering their services.\”

Susana Malcorra, head of the Department of Field Support, told reporters that UN staff members are experiencing a \”difficult moment.\”

The UN set up a hotline on Tuesday night to answer questions from family members of UN staff and also established counseling services in Haiti, she said.

\”We are focused on making sure we can get people out (of the rubble) and getting them to have the right level of medical treatment … but the tensions are there,\” she said.

A large number of buildings in the nation\’s capital, Port-au-Prince, have been destroyed with layers of floors pan caked on top of one another. The UN mission\’s headquarters at the Christopher Hotel, a five-story building built in the early 1960s, was also completely leveled and it is believed Annabi and Carlos da Costa are still under the rubble.

The UN has been quickly mobilizing its resources, sending experts and emergency supplies to the Caribbean nation. Communication lines are down and many roads are impassable but the airport remains virtually undamaged.

http://www.znnw.com

MEXICO CITY, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) — The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) on Wednesday called on the international community to send urgent humanitarian aid to Haiti, which was hit by a magnitude 7 earthquake.

In a statement issued on Wednesday in Mexico, ECLAC also expressed its solidarity with the Haitian people, adding that the earthquake left thousands of deaths and hundreds of missing people, including staff of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (Minustah).

ECLAC Executive Secretary Alicia Barcena expressed her deepest condolences and her solidarity with the Haitian victims and the Minustah staff.

Barcena also offered the ECLAC collaboration on the immediate rescue works and later to evaluate the reconstruction process of the country.

Barcena also sent a letter to Haitian President Rene Preval saying that \”the ECLAC has supported Haiti on the evaluation of other natural disasters, together with the UN and the World Bank … and we are ready to give the Haitian people the support needed once more time and to contribute with its prompt recover.\”

On Tuesday noon a strong earthquake struck Haiti, but so far there are no official reports on the number of victims and damages. According to the press reports, about 100 buildings collapsed including the presidential palace and the United Nations building in Port-au-Prince, Haiti\’s capital.

http://www.qb-china.com

PARIS, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) — The Director-General of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)expressed Wednesday her deep concern over the devastation caused by the powerful 7.0-magnitude quake that hit Haiti and pledged support for victims in the disaster.

The disaster near Haitian capital of the Port-au-Prince was \”deeply distressing\” and \”our organization will do everything possible within the areas of expertise to help the population through this terrible ordeal,\” Irina Bokova said in a statement.

A UNESCO team based in Port-au-Prince is working with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Haiti.

However, the organization can\’t regain contact with the 14 staff members on the devastated land till press time, the statement concluded.

A catastrophic earthquake hit the crowded Haitian capital on Tuesday afternoon local time, leaving the cathedral, hospitals, schools, residential buildings collapsed. The president\’s palace and several foreign organizations\’ headquarters were also flattened in the quake.

Head of the UN peacekeeping mission Hedi Annabi was missing. Haitian authorities reportedly estimated thousands of people were feared dead in the disaster.

?

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UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) — Wyclef Jean, one of Haiti\’s most celebrated musicians, has ignited a flurry of donations on Wednesday simply by tweeting about the 7.0-magnitude earthquake, which devastated the island nation on Tuesday.

On the popular social networking site, Twitter, Jean urged people to send a text to his Haitian charity, Yele, to donate 5 U.S. dollars to assist in relief efforts.

It is unclear how much money has been raised. A call to Yele headquarters in New York resulted several times in a busy signal.

Twitter is awash in retweets of Jean\’s call for help. In less than five minutes on the site, more than 600 new messages popped up.

According to local media reports, Jean arrived in Haiti on Wednesday.

The musician, who was raised in Brooklyn, New York City, is most famous for his work with the group the Fugees. Last March, Jean accompanied United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and former U.S. President Bill Clinton to tour the impoverished nation.

http://www.qb-china.com