Haiti Situation Report #1 - 22 January 2025

The security situation in Haiti has significantly deteriorated since 11 November 2024, marked by increased violence, kidnappings, and killings by armed gangs, as well as political turbulence. The closure of the international port and airport in Port-au-Prince has delayed the shipping of vital medical supplies, including reproductive health supplies and equipment for emergency obstetric and clinical management of rape care.  Gangs have also ransacked and destroyed hospitals and health facilities, forcing many to close or suspend operations. Despite the challenges, some hospitals, like the Hôpital Universitaire de La Paix, Delmas, have seen an increase in patients seeking maternal health services, highlighting the critical need for continued support amidst the ongoing crisis.

UNFPA has provided a range of essential services in Haiti, including the distribution of reproductive health medicines and equipment to the maternity hospital in Croix-des-Bouquets, and the deployment of mobile clinics and women’s safe spaces to 13 displacement sites in the Metropolitan Area of Port-au-Prince, which provided services to over 4,000 people. UNFPA also distributed mama kits and dignity kits to women in displacement sites, and supported 666 deliveries, including through caesarean sections. Additionally, UNFPA provided equipment and supplies for emergency obstetric care and the clinical management of rape to 6 hospitals in the Metropolitan Area of Port-au-Prince, and supported a hotline that provided psychosocial support and referrals to specialized gender-based violence (GBV) services. UNFPA Haiti also distributed essential sexual and reproductive health (SRH) supplies to health facilities affected by floods in the North-West department, which helped respond to the priority SRH needs of over 2,000 women and girls.

UNFPA Haiti and several UN agencies conducted a joint rapid needs assessment in flood-affected communities in Haiti from 6-14 January 2025, focusing on the SRH and protection needs of women and girls. UNFPA also met with the World Food Programme to discuss food assistance for women and girls in UNFPA-supported safe shelters, and continued to update GBV service mapping and temporary shelter mapping. Additionally, UNFPA is organizing the first meeting of the SRH Inter-Agency Working Group in early February, which will serve as a platform for coordinating emergency SRH interventions, reviewing SRH needs, supporting capacity building, and advocating for financial support for SRH services.