HAITI / AMOS WRAP

UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos wraps up a two-day visit to Haiti where she highlighted the need for a much stronger international and national response to the cholera epidemic. She also met with President Rene Préval and visited a slum in Port-au-Prince. MINUSTAH

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:02:38
• Production Date: 24 November 2010
• Asset Language: Original
• Subject Topical: POPULATION; HUMAN SETTLEMENTS; HEALTH; DISEASES; HUMANITARIAN RELIEF
• Geographic Subject: UNITED NATIONS STABILIZATION MISSION IN HAITI - MINUSTAH
• MAMS Id: U101124a

Description

STORY: HAITI / AMOS WRAP
TRT: 2.38
SOURCE: MINUSTAH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/NATS

DATELINE: 23, 24 NOVEMBER 2010, PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI

Shotlist

1. Pan right, from door of the makeshift shelter with cholera pamphlet of delegation
2. Med shot, mother washing a kid in a bucket behind the tent
3. Various shots, Amos at hygiene promotion class
4. Various shots, children learning how to wash hands with soap
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Valerie Amos, Under-Secretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator, United Nations:
“It’s going to get lot worse before it gets better, and the crucial thing for us is that right now we won’t be able to control the infection rate, but what we can do is control the number of people who die from this disease. This is controllable, we can deal with this. But we have to get people in place, we have to get resources in place, we have to get supplies in place.”
6. Wide shot, Amos walking through a camp in downtown Port-au-Prince
7. Tilt down, delegation walking on rubble
8. Various shots, Amos visiting sanitation activities in the camp
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Valerie Amos, Under-Secretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator, United Nations:
“Clean water is absolutely critical. Sanitation is absolutely critical. But for Haitians who have not experienced cholera, who don’t know what to do, who are fearful of this disease, we really have to raise their awareness. And we have to remember that it not just about cities, not just about urban spaces. This is a country where a lot of people live in remote parts of the country that are not accessible. We have to reach them as well.”
10. Med shot, Amos with Haitian President Preval and Prime Minister Bien-Aime
11. Wide shot, working meeting with Haitian government officials

Storyline

United Nations (UN) Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos ended her two-day visit to Haiti, a nation hard hit by the ongoing cholera outbreak. She saw first-hand some of the humanitarian work already being done in Haiti, which she noted has already saved tens of thousands of lives. But she added, it’s far from over.

SOUNDBITE (English) Valerie Amos, Under-Secretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator, United Nations:
“It’s going to get lot worse before it gets better, and the crucial thing for us is that right now we won’t be able to control the infection rate, but what we can do is control the number of people who die from this disease. This is controllable, we can deal with this. But we have to get people in place, we have to get resources in place, we have to get supplies in place.”
The death toll, as of Monday, stood at 1,200, but the experts have said that the disease – which is spread through contaminated food and water – might have claimed as many as 2,000 people, with some fatalities in remote areas going unreported. The number of reported cases is currently approaching 50,000.
SOUNDBITE (English) Valerie Amos, Under-Secretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator, United Nations:
“Clean water is absolutely critical. Sanitation is absolutely critical. But for Haitians who have not experienced cholera, who don’t know what to do, who are fearful of this disease, we really have to raise their awareness. And we have to remember that it not just about cities, not just about urban spaces. This is a country where a lot of people live in remote parts of the country that are not accessible. We have to reach them as well.”
The UN and its partners have appealed for $164 million for additional treatment centres, scaled-up public information campaigns to help people understand how to prevent infection, supplies of medical equipment, rehydration salts, water purification tablets and other essential materials to respond to the outbreak.
As she wrapped up her visit today, Amos met with President Rene Préval, and visited a displaced people’s camp in the Tabarre neighbourhood of Port-au-Prince and a cholera treatment centre. She also met senior leaders from the UN and humanitarian agencies in Haiti, and the non-governmental organization Doctors Without Borders (MSF).