by Edith M. Lederer
The Security Council urged the United Nations on Thursday to keep up efforts to combat cholera in Haiti in a resolution extending the mandate of the peacekeeping force whose soldiers have been widely blamed for starting the epidemic.
The council unanimously adopted the resolution a day after human rights groups filed a lawsuit against the U.N. seeking compensation for thousands of cholera victims and the provision of clean water and sanitation for the impoverished Caribbean country.
The lawsuit stems from a cholera outbreak in Haiti that surfaced in 2010, and which health officials say has killed more than 8,000 people and sickened nearly 600,000. Scientific studies have shown that cholera was likely introduced to the country by U.N. troops from Nepal, whose infected waste contaminated Haiti's principal river. The disease is endemic in Nepal.
Last December, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced a $2.27 billion initiative to help eradicate cholera in Haiti and the neighboring Dominican Republic, which share the island of Hispaniola, but the ambitious 10-year plan is underfunded.
Ban rejected a claim for compensation for cholera victims in February, citing diplomatic immunity.
The Security Council urged the U.N. to continue assisting Haitian efforts to stamp out cholera, especially with improvements to Haiti's water and sanitation systems.
Haiti was already the poorest country in the Western hemisphere when a devastating earthquake struck in January 2010, killing up to 300,000 people and leaving millions homeless. The cholera outbreak nine months later complicated the country's recovery.
The U.N. peacekeeping mission, established in June 2004, was beefed up after the earthquake to help with recovery efforts. After presidential elections in 2011, the mission returned to its original mandate, focusing on restoring security and stability.
The resolution adopted Thursday extends the mandate of the force until Oct. 15, 2014 and reduces the troop strength to 5,021 from 6,270. It maintains the number of international police personnel at 2,601
Explore further: Haiti victims file cholera lawsuit against UN (Update)
© 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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by Edith M. Lederer
The Security Council urged the United Nations on Thursday to keep up efforts to combat cholera in Haiti in a resolution extending the mandate of the peacekeeping force whose soldiers have been widely blamed for starting the epidemic.
The council unanimously adopted the resolution a day after human rights groups filed a lawsuit against the U.N. seeking compensation for thousands of cholera victims and the provision of clean water and sanitation for the impoverished Caribbean country.
The lawsuit stems from a cholera outbreak in Haiti that surfaced in 2010, and which health officials say has killed more than 8,000 people and sickened nearly 600,000. Scientific studies have shown that cholera was likely introduced to the country by U.N. troops from Nepal, whose infected waste contaminated Haiti's principal river. The disease is endemic in Nepal.
Last December, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced a $2.27 billion initiative to help eradicate cholera in Haiti and the neighboring Dominican Republic, which share the island of Hispaniola, but the ambitious 10-year plan is underfunded.
Ban rejected a claim for compensation for cholera victims in February, citing diplomatic immunity.
The Security Council urged the U.N. to continue assisting Haitian efforts to stamp out cholera, especially with improvements to Haiti's water and sanitation systems.
Haiti was already the poorest country in the Western hemisphere when a devastating earthquake struck in January 2010, killing up to 300,000 people and leaving millions homeless. The cholera outbreak nine months later complicated the country's recovery.
The U.N. peacekeeping mission, established in June 2004, was beefed up after the earthquake to help with recovery efforts. After presidential elections in 2011, the mission returned to its original mandate, focusing on restoring security and stability.
The resolution adopted Thursday extends the mandate of the force until Oct. 15, 2014 and reduces the troop strength to 5,021 from 6,270. It maintains the number of international police personnel at 2,601
Explore further: Haiti victims file cholera lawsuit against UN (Update)
© 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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Haiti victims file cholera lawsuit against UN (Update)
Oct 09, 2013
Victims of a Haiti cholera epidemic Wednesday filed a lawsuit demanding compensation from the United Nations over an outbreak that killed more than 8,300 people.
Study: UN should be accountable for Haiti cholera (Update)
Aug 06, 2013
The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Haiti should be held accountable for introducing cholera into the Caribbean nation, a Yale University report said Tuesday.
UN chief tells US it will combat cholera in Haiti
Jul 06, 2013
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told members of the U.S. Congress Friday that the United Nations is committed to helping Haiti overcome a cholera epidemic even though it is refusing to pay compensation to victims who blame ...
Dominican Republic, Haiti in 10-year cholera fight
Oct 08, 2012
(AP)—Officials in Haiti and the Dominican Republic are preparing for a long campaign against cholera, the water-borne disease that has sickened tens of thousands of people in the two neighboring Caribbean countries.
Cholera sickens 93 people in Dominican city
Aug 29, 2013
Authorities in the Dominican Republic are checking the water in a city in the south of the Caribbean country after a sharp rise in cholera in recent days.
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