Haiti

Overview

Haiti is regularly affected by natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes, landslides, and droughts. At least 4.4 million people in Haiti (about 40% of the population) were in need of humanitarian assistance as at March 2021; almost 49% of them are children. Food insecurity persists across the country, with approximately 4.1 million people in acute need of food assistance. This is caused by the combined effects of natural hazards and poor socioeconomic conditions. In November 2020, 69% of 11,600 households surveyed reported a decrease in their incomes as a result of the pandemic. During 2019–2020, four million children did not have access to education. Haiti experiences political and social turbulence because of gang violence, which has been on the rise since the second half of 2020. Since June 2021, approximately 18,100 people have been displaced by armed violence, and about 1.5 million have been affected by the inability to access basic services in Port-au-Prince during clashes between gangs. The assassination of President Jovenel Moïse on 7 July adds a new element of political instability to the current crisis, although the potential developments and consequences of the event are not yet clear. ?

INFORM measures Haiti's risk of humanitarian crisis and disaster for 2019 to be high at 6.5/10. Lack of Coping Capacity is of particular concern, at 7.4/10.?

Latest Developments

As a consequence of the 14 August 2021 earthquake in southern Haiti, around 980,000 people in Sud, Grand'Anse, and Nippes (45% of the population of these departments) are at risk of food insecurity between September 2021 and February 2022. The earthquake resulted in crop failures and destroyed food production infrastructure. These effects of the earthquake, compounded by high inflation rates, insecurity due to gang violence, and the impact of Tropical Storm Grace (16-17 August), have affected the livelihoods of the local population. The number of people at risk of food insecurity has increased by nearly 60,000 compared to the  March-June 2021 period. Food assistance is urgently needed to ensure access to food in the short term. It is estimated that, at least until 2022, it will be necessary to support the agricultural sector with seeds and productive assets to ensure food availability.?

Find more detailed information in the latest ACAPS special report.