UN Briefing 1/22

MINUSTAH daily briefing

22 January 2010


SECURITY

    * The overall security situation remains calm. Fortunately, the weather has been kind to us. However, were it to rain heavily, the situation could worsen.

    * The Haitian National Police and MINUSTAH have taken measures to secure the re-opening of banks in Port-au-Prince, which will begin business on Saturday 23 January, according to bank representatives.

    * MINUSTAH’s UN Police reports that 70% of the manpower of the HNP throughout the country has been reporting for duty and performing their tasks this week.

    * The UN Police Commissioner, Gerard Chaumont, met last Wednesday with the US Ambassador in Haiti, Kenneth Merten, to discuss the construction of 50-100 supplementary housing areas for prison inmates in the PAP area.  The mobile units were already dispatched from the US.

    * Research and rescue operations are still ongoing. No live rescues have been reported during the past 24 hours. The total number of live rescues is 121 people, so far.

    * Around 8,700 people are living in eight camps in Jacmel, to whom MINUSTAH and WFP are providing food and drinking water.
A/SRSG AND HC AGENDA
    * The A/SRSG, the Force Commander and the Humanitarian Coordinator met yesterday with Ms. Josette Sheeran, Executive Director of the WFP, who was briefed on the coordination mechanisms in place for the delivery of humanitarian assistance. The A/SRSG and the Humanitarian Coordinator highlighted the important role of MINUSTAH security forces in protecting the humanitarian efforts.
    * The SRSG, the Force Commander, and advisors to President Préval visited Jacmel and Leogane yesterday to examine the impact of the earthquake in those cities.  Out of the 2 cities, they noted Leogane was the hardest-hit, requiring urgent medical sanitary, and food assistance.   They also overflew the municipality of Gressier, located between Leogane and Carrefour, which was also severely affected.

    * The minister of Foreign Affairs of the Dominican Republic, Carlos Morales Troncoso, will be meeting the A/SRSG this morning in Port-au-Prince to discuss about the DR-Haiti humanitarian corridor.
 
PUBLIC SECTOR
    * According to WFP the port in Port-au-Prince, which has not been functioning since the earthquake, is now partially functioning.  For the moment, it can only receive humanitarian ships equipped with their own cranes.
PRIVATE SECTOR
    * Reginald Boulos, president of the Haitian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, held a press conference with other private sector actors on the current situation. He announced the resumption of some economic activities, among which:

1.      The fact that 30% of the gas stations are operational and that there is no fuel shortage. 2.      The soft drinks industry is operational at 50%, and will be operational at 100% by next week. 3.      Most surviving supermarkets will be functioning by next week, and so will the manufacturing industry.  4.      Telecommunications is expected to be operational by the end of this week.

ANNOUNCEMENTS
·         The Minister of Culture and Communication is planning to give two press briefings daily to provide updates on the situation. They will be held at 10:00 and at 3:00.
 Commercial flights in and out of Haiti have not yet resumed their operations.  Delta Airlines may reportedly start operating twice a week, sta