MoS Costello two-year anniversary Haiti earthquake

On the second anniversary of the devastating earthquake in Haiti, which killed more than 230,000 people, Minister of State for Trade and Development, Joe Costello, T.D., has confirmed that the Government has delivered 90% of the funding pledged by Ireland in response to the disaster. 

Minister Costello said that €11.5 million of the €13 million pledged by the Government for the period 2010 to 2012 has been provided to assist families to access clean water, shelter and sanitation. The remaining €1.5 million in funding will be released in the early months of 2012.  

“The Irish people have been unwavering in their support for the hundreds of thousands of victims of the massive earthquake in Haiti in 2010” Minister Costello said.

“Two years on, we know that the humanitarian situation in Haiti remains extremely fragile. An estimated 550,000 people are still displaced within the country, living in nearly 900 tented camps in Port-au-Prince and other earthquake-affected areas. 

“Since 2010, we have made emergency funding available for the provision of clean water, shelter and sanitation for the affected population. To prioritise these efforts we have been working with a number of NGOs, including Concern, Goal, Plan, World Vision and Haven. Ireland also airlifted two shipments of emergency humanitarian supplies and deployed 18 members of the Rapid Response Corps.  

“In terms of longer-term development, Irish Aid is currently funding Concern Worldwide and the missionary organisation Misean Cara for these organisations’ projects to build sustainable livelihoods and support education throughout the country.  

“I will continue to work with other donors and the international community, led by the Interim Haiti Reconstruction Commission, to ensure that adequate progress is made in recovery and reconstruction while also addressing the immediate needs of the population.

For further information or to request an interview with Minister Costello, contact Fionnuala Quinlan, Press Officer, Irish Aid, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on 01-4082653 or 0879099975.

12 January 2011  
Notes for the Editor: 

• Irish Aid is the Government’s overseas aid programme. It is managed by the Development Cooperation Division of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
• Ireland pledged funding of €13 million for Haiti for the period 2010-2012 at the Haiti Donor Conference in New York in March 2010. 
• The 2010 earthquake killed more than 230,000 of Haiti’s people. It destroyed much of the capital city Port-au-Prince and the surrounding areas and left approximately 1.5 million people homeless.
• Irish Aid maintains the Rapid Response Corps, a register of highly-skilled individuals who are willing to be deployed at short notice to assist in an emergency relief effort. Since the earthquake, there have also been 18 deployments of the Rapid Response Corps to Haiti to assist in areas such as logistics, engineering and water and sanitation. 
• In addition to emergency funding allocated, in January 2010 Irish Aid has also organised two airlifts totalling 130 tonnes of emergency supplies from the UN relief hubs in Dubai and Accra for distribution by Concern, Goal and Trócaire. In October 2010, with the onset of Hurricane Tomas, Irish Aid shipped a further 40 tonnes of shelter equipment from the UN humanitarian relief hub in Panama.
• Irish Aid support to Haiti 2010-2011 (pdf)