Haitians deserve “more than mere survival”, acting deputy UN relief chief tells Security Council
Briefing to the Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Haiti by Indrika Ratwatte, Acting UN Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, on behalf of Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator
New York, 28 August 2026
As delivered
Madam President, Excellencies,
Building on the political and security developments outlined by the SRSG [Special Representative of the Secretary-General] Ruiz Massieu, allow me to focus on the rapidly worsening humanitarian crisis in Haiti – one of the most severe in the Western Hemisphere.
Families are fleeing violence. Hunger is rising. Health services are crumbling.
More than half of Haiti’s population – some 6.4 million people – are in need of humanitarian assistance.
The latest attack on Kenscoff is yet another grim reminder, as the SRSG mentioned, of the suffering Haitians face every day: Dozens of people were killed, and more than 2,600 forced to flee their homes, many for the second or third time. Over 50 people were reportedly abducted. Families are still searching for missing relatives, while communities face widespread trauma, displacement and uncertainty about the fate of their loved ones.
And violence is not the only threat.
Haiti remains highly vulnerable to recurring climate shocks and other natural hazards. Hurricane Melissa brought death and destruction to Haiti last year, and now the country is facing another hurricane season. And recent seismic activity in the region is a stark reminder of Haiti’s vulnerability to earthquakes.
Madam President,
Nearly 1.5 million people – 12 per cent of Haiti’s population – are internally displaced. Half of them are children.
Displacement doubled in just two years and conditions in many displacement sites are squalid. Sites are overcrowded and unsafe, without adequate water and sanitation facilities.
Even as more people are displaced in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area and Artibonite department, families are returning home in parts of the West and Centre departments – including to areas where conditions for safe, voluntary and sustainable returns have not yet been established.
People must be able to return home safely and voluntarily.
Meanwhile, deportations to Haiti continue at scale. In the first eight months of 2026, we have seen almost 200,000 people were forcibly returned, a 10 per cent increase compared with the same period last year.
Many arrive without resources, documentation or support networks, and some have especially urgent protection needs, including survivors of sexual violence, pregnant and lactating women, people with disabilities, and unaccompanied and separated children.
Madam President,
Shocking levels of violence and suffering are inflicted on the population – particularly on women, girls and children.
Our humanitarian partners have recorded over 5,500 incidents of gender-based violence, or about 30 cases each day, in the first six months of the year alone.
Women and girls constitute the vast majority of survivors. Approximately 70 per cent of reported incidents of gender-based violence involved rape, and nearly three quarters of reported rape cases involved collective rape.
Women and girls are being subjected to horrific sexual violence with utter impunity. This must stop.
The trauma of survivors is visible on their faces, while access to timely and comprehensive services remains extremely limited.
Protecting women and girls from gender-based violence is a collective responsibility.
Madam President,
For Haiti’s children, life is a daily struggle for survival.
Half of all displaced people are children, with more than 2.6 million children across the country in need of humanitarian assistance.
Hospitals are overwhelmed, with childhoods cut short by violence, neglect, exploitation and hunger.
According to UNICEF, the number of children recruited and used by armed groups skyrocketed by an estimated 200 per cent in 2025.
The connection is clear. When children go hungry, lose access to school or are separated from their families, they become more vulnerable to recruitment. In some areas, these groups are seen as one of the few sources of food, income, shelter or protection.
Once recruited, getting out can be extraordinarily difficult. Children face threats of retaliation, few safe alternatives, and stigma within their families and communities. They also become a target of more violence.
Education is one of the strongest protections.
Yet as the school year starts, attacks on and the use of schools by armed groups continue to disrupt learning.
More than 1,600 schools remain closed, affecting 7,500 teachers and depriving more than 240,000 students of learning.
Every day out of school leaves children more exposed to violence, exploitation and recruitment.
The children of Haiti deserve a future, not more violence.
Madam President,
The crisis is also depriving people of reaching essential services.
Healthcare, livelihoods, water and sanitation continue to be disrupted by violence and insecurity. Just 10 per cent of health facilities with inpatient capacity remain operational in Port-au-Prince, including only one public hospital.
Attacks on healthcare, including ambulances, and movement restrictions continue to limit access to life-saving services.
Madam President,
We must also protect the humanitarian space that allows us to reach people in need.
As we do in other crises, the UN and our partners operate on the basis of humanitarian principles in all areas of need – irrespective of who controls or influences them – to ensure that life-saving aid can reach vulnerable people wherever they are.
Humanitarians must not be criminalized for engaging with armed groups when necessary to reach people in need, or for providing life-saving medical care to people injured during security operations.
There must be a clear and visible distinction between humanitarian and security actors to ensure the safety of aid workers and preserve access to – and the trust of – communities.
At the same time, the ongoing dialogue between humanitarians and security actors, including the Gang Suppression Force, through the Civil Military Coordination Cell chaired by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, is a critical element, and we appreciate the close cooperation that exists.
Madam President,
Behind the figures I outlined are families repeatedly uprooted, children separated from parents, and communities stripped of even the most basic services.
Humanitarians are staying and delivering.
Together, our humanitarian partners reached more than 2.4 million people during the first half of this year.
But many of the most acute needs are in areas where access depends on sustained engagement – with security forces, armed groups, and others – and on the long-term acceptance of humanitarian action by communities.
That trust remains fragile. Preserving it requires strict adherence to humanitarian principles –particularly neutrality, impartiality and independence – and a clear distinction between humanitarian actors and political or security actors.
And emergency aid alone cannot change the trajectory of this crisis.
Let me close with three asks:
First, stop the violence. No child should fall asleep to gunfire. Hospitals, schools and aid workers must never be targets.
Second, fund the response. Humanitarian organizations remain committed and ready to deliver life‑saving assistance, but surging needs mean we need continued predictable and flexible funding. We thank our largest donors – the United States, the European Commission, the World Bank and Canada – for their support.
And third, tackle the causes of this crisis. Lasting progress requires broader efforts – including in the realms of security, political stability, and sustained investment in essential services.
The people of Haiti deserve more than mere survival.
They deserve safety, opportunity, and hope for a better future.
Thank you.