UN: Lesson Learned From Haiti Is to “Screen Peacekeepers For Cholera”

By: - October 11th, 2013

Above: a cholera treatment centre in Haiti (UN Photo/Logan Abassi)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

One of the lessons learned from the cholera epidemic in Haiti is to screen peacekeepers for cholera, a spokesperson for UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon told reporters on Wednesday.

Responding to questions over a lawsuit filed by cholera victims against the UN this week, associate spokesperson Farhan Haq said “I believe that part of our lessons learned from this has been to screen peacekeepers for cholera.”

Most scientific studies of the cholera epidemic point to UN peacekeepers from Nepal as the source of the epidemic, which has killed more than 8,000 people in Haiti.

Regarding the lawsuit, the UN said it remained “committed to do all that the Organization can do to help the people of Haiti overcome the cholera epidemic.”

“The United Nations is working on the ground with the Government and people of Haiti both to provide immediate and practical assistance to those affected, and to put in place better infrastructure and services for all,” Haq said. “With regard to possible claims against the Organization, as has been stated with regard to other cases that are subject to litigation, it is not the United Nations practice to discuss in public claims filed against the Organization.”

For the full transcript of the press briefing on Wednesday, click here.

Haiti

IMF: Economic Growth Slows in the Dominican Republic

Above: the Dominican Republic (CJ Photo) By the Caribbean Journal staff Economic growth in the Dominican Republic decelerated in early 2013, according to the International Monetary Fund, which recently concluded a post-programme monitoring discussion with the country. The deceleration came in the context of “fiscal contraction and weak confidence,” the Fund said, with real GDP […]

Haiti

Bernie Williams to Headline Dominican Republic Jazz Festival

Above: Bernie Williams By the Caribbean Journal staff New York Yankees legend and jazz guitarist Bernie Williams will headline the 2013 Dominican Republic Jazz Festival at the end of this month. Williams will be joined by stars such as Rufus Reid, Abraham Laboriel, Marco Pignataro, Alex Acuña, and Ramon Vazquez at the festival, which runs […]

Haiti

Martinique Readies For CTO State of the Industry Conference

Above: Fort de France (CJ Photo) By the Caribbean Journal staff The French island of Martinique will be putting its tourism industry on full display next week as the first-time host of the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s State of the Industry Conference. This year’s conference is being held under the theme of “Perfecting the Experience, Delivering […]

Haiti: United Nations Extends Peacekeeping Mission For One Year

Above: UN peacekeepers in Haiti (UN Photo/Jesus Serrano Redondo) By the Caribbean Journal staff The United Nations Security Council voted Thursday to extend the UN Peacekeeping Mission in Haiti until mid-October of 2014. The unanimous vote also slightly reduced the mission’s troop levels, with up to 5,021 troops, along with a police component of 2,601 […]

Antigua Launches Training For Mobile App Development

 Above: the training workshop this week By the Caribbean Journal staff Antigua and Barbuda’s recently-opened ICT Cadet Training Facility recently held its first training workshop on the development of mobile apps. The workshop, which the government said was oversubscribed, is part of an initiative spearheaded by the Ministry of Telecommunications, Science and Technology in collaboration […]

Tourism and Caribbean Agriculture

Above: UN peacekeepers in Haiti (UN Photo/Jesus Serrano Redondo) By the Caribbean Journal staff The United Nations Security Council voted Thursday to extend the UN Peacekeeping Mission in Haiti until mid-October of 2014. The unanimous vote also slightly reduced the mission’s troop levels, with up to 5,021 troops, along with a police component of 2,601 […]

Grenada PM Heads to Washington

Above: Grenada Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell By the Caribbean Journal staff Grenada Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell departed the country Thursday for a visit to Washington. Mitchell is traveling to the US to participate in the annual meetings at the World Bank and the IMF in Washington. The government said Mitchell would put forward […]