UNITED
NATIONS, July
29 -- After
the UN tersely
denied the
legal claims
of
thousands
killed by the
cholera the UN
brought into
Haiti, its
spokesperson
and its chief
legal counsel
Patricia
O'Brien
have told
Inner City
Press they
have nothing
more to say.
But
because of how
this conflicts
with the rules
of law and
with
accountability,
both of which
the UN
preaches,
Inner City
Press has
kept
on asking, on
July 26
and again
today, July 29,
about a new
study and a
new spike in
cholera cases.
From
the July
26 UN
transcript:
Inner
City Press:
I’m sure
you’ve seen
the report put
out by the
four
scientists who
did the UN’s
initial study
of cholera in
Haiti, and
they’ve now
issued a
second report.
They’re no
longer in the
employ of the
UN. And they
say that new
evidence shows
that it was
pretty
conclusively
that the UN
brought
cholera to
Haiti. So I
wanted to
know, since
the UN has
relied on
their previous
findings so
much, what do
they say to
this new
study? I’m
hoping that
you can
say some way
that it either
relates to or
changes in
some way or
just
how should we
read it in
connection
with the UN
dismissing the
claims
on behalf of
5,000 people
killed by the
cholera.
Deputy
Spokesperson
Eduardo Del
Buey: No, the
claims
continue to be
not
receivable.
That said, as
we have stated
consistently
since the
beginning of
the crisis,
the
Secretary-General
and the UN
remain
fully
committed to
address the
situation of
cholera in
Haiti.
Significant
progress has
been made,
mortality
rates are
down, we have
been
distributing
all kinds of
water
purification
kits, and
we’ve
been doing
infrastructural
work, building
latrines,
we’ve been
distributing
vaccines and
we are also
working very
closely with
the
Haitian
authorities to
educate the
Haitian people
on how to
avoid the
spread of
cholera. The
Secretary-General
continues to
press Member
States and
philanthropic
organizations
to increase
their
contributions.
The
contributions
for this year
have only
reached 23
per cent of
the asking.
We’re working
very
assiduously
with Member
States and
philanthropic
organizations
to ensure that
this money is
received this
year so that
we can
continue with
this work.
Thank you very
much, ladies
and
gentlemen.
Have a good
weekend.
That
was the UN's
line, that the
claims of
thousands of
people killed
were
"not
receivable."
It's a model
of
unaccountability.
But it
is this UN's
line.
On
Monday,
July 29,
Inner City
Press
asked about a
spike in
cases:
Inner
City Press:
The Haitian
Government has
acknowledged
that there’s
been a spike
in cholera
just literally
this month,
they’ve put
out
statistics.
And so I
wanted to ask
you this.
You’d said on
Friday, and I
understood
that nothing
is changed by
the new
report,
by the people
that studied
cholera before
now, saying
that the UN
did
bring it, but
given the
commitment
that you
expressed on
Friday by
the
Secretary-General,
is the UN
going to
release
numbers? Does
it
keep track of
the actual
progress in
terms of
either
decreasing or
in
this case,
it’s been
increasing,
cholera in the
country? What
does
it say about
these new
statistics
that, despite
the calls for
funds,
etcetera, that
the problem
seems to be
getting worse?
Deputy
Spokesperson
Del Buey:
Well, as
storms arrive,
obviously, the
possibility of
contamination
of water
rises. The UN
is working
very
hard with the
resources it
has to put
together a
plan to help
combat
and eventually
eradicate
cholera from
Haiti. As I
said on
Friday, I
think our
appeal has
subscribed to
23 per cent,
so obviously,
we
depend on the
generosity of
Member States
and the
generosity of
philanthropic
organizations
to provide the
funding, so
that the UN,
through PAHO
[Pan American
Health
Organization],
through the
World
Health
Organization
and through
other
organizations,
can carry out
this very
important
work. I’ll
leave it at
that. Thank
you very
much, ladies
and gentlemen.
So
each day the
UN thanks
Inner City
Press for
asking about
Haiti. The
questions will
continue. And
there are
lawsuits
coming. Watch
this
site.
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