“I often think that I can’t even find words anymore to describe the situation. Is it alarming, sharp, urgent? It’s all that and more.” The phrase she settled on was “surprisingly horrible.”
Haiti is currently facing a prolonged and aggravated humanitarian crisis. The violence from gangs is spreading beyond the capital, Port-au-Prince, and civilians are increasingly bearing the weight of this terror. Moreover, Haiti is one of the five countries in the world experiencing famine conditions.
In the midst of this horror, Haiti’s humanitarian plan is only nine percent funded, making it the least funded humanitarian response plan in the world according to Ms. Richardson.
Despite these challenging circumstances, Ms. Richardson emphasized that political will and funding could ensure that the current crisis does not define Haiti’s future. “Haiti’s fate does not need to be one of misery and despair,” she said. “Haiti can rise quickly.”
More than 1.3 million people were displaced in Haiti due to violence—the highest number in Haiti’s history—and nearly half the country suffers from emergency food insecurity.
These statistics can be hard to grasp in terms of their real human impact. “All of these are just numbers. Beyond each number, there is a mother, a child, a father, a young person,” she said.
Sometimes these numbers overshadow individual stories. For instance, the figure of 1.3 million displaced obscures those left behind, perhaps unable to flee as violence emptied their neighborhoods. Richardson shared that she had heard many such stories.
“This might be people in a wheelchair or an elderly parent whom they just have to leave behind. They cannot move with them.”
Ms. Richardson expressed frustration about Haiti’s current situation, particularly because the international community has identified solutions to alleviate, if not completely resolve, the crisis.
“We have tools, but the international community’s response is not aligned with the gravity on the ground,” she said.
For example, the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) lacks sufficient staff and equipment to fulfill its mandate. Additionally, while sanctions against political leaders with gang ties are slowly being implemented, they are insufficient. The international community is also not doing enough to stop the flow of firearms.
“These tools need appropriate support and investment to achieve their full mandate. There must be a way to stop weapons in Haiti,” declared Ms. Richardson.
Urging states to consider what more they can do to end the humanitarian crisis, Ms. Richardson said several actions are required from the world.
Ms. Richardson will start a new role in Libya on September 1. As she prepares to leave her years of work in Haiti, she shared with journalists that she has a divided heart.
On one hand, it is a humanitarian crisis of striking proportions that the world seems to have forgotten. Yet, if the international community could adopt the solutions already in place, the crisis could be resolved.
“We cannot do what we do if we are not optimistic. Of course, we believe that there are solutions. Of course, we believe that the future is brighter than the present,” she said.
Ms. Richardson mentioned that this optimism is partly inspired by Haiti’s “honorable and brilliant” past and the resilience she has witnessed on the ground.
“Every condition is set for a new chapter… Haitians are more than ready for this, so the country can resonate more positively in the international community.”
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