Above: Haiti (CJ photo)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is urging the international community to “increase its aid” to Haiti, he said in a message released Friday.

Ban, who released the statement ahead of the fourth anniversary of the earthquake, said that progress had been made in areas like health and education, but “more needs to be done.”

“Haiti remains extremely vulnerable on many fronts,” he said. “145,000 people continue to live in make-shift camps. The country is structurally exposed to recurrent food crises. Haiti has the lowest level of water and sanitation coverage in the Americas.”

Ban called on the international community to “stand with Haiti at its time of dire need.”

“We must intensify our efforts to help Haiti build a more stable and prosperous future for the all its people. Let us renew today our pledge to follow our fallen colleagues’ dream of a life of dignity for all the people of Haiti,” he said.

On Sunday, Haiti will mark the fourth anniversary of the quake, which killed around 220,000 people.