By Martin Banks - 18th January 2010
A top United Nations official has pledged that the organisation will do its utmost to help relieve the suffering of victims of the devastating earthquake in Haiti.
Speaking on Monday, David Nabarro said he wanted to express his "wholehearted commitment" to ensure that the UN makes the best possible contribution both to immediate and to long-term recovery.
Nabarro, a special representative of UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon, went on to say that this will include seeking to ensure that all Haitian people are able to enjoy food security.
The New York based official, a specialist in the field of nutrition and food security, was speaking at the opening of a world food security summit in the Senegalese capital Dakar.
The summit, jointly organised by the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions and backed by the commission, is looking at solutions to tackling hunger and malnutrition in countries like Haiti, said to be the second poorest in the world.
It is feared the eventual death toll from the earthquake could reach as many as 200,000.
On Monday, EU member states pledged more than €420m from the EU budget to assist Haiti, with about half the sum dedicated to emergency and short-term aid.
At least €200m will be dedicated to funding medium to long-term rebuilding efforts.
European ministers were also discussing deploying a security mission to help maintain law and order.
The British government is to treble its aid to Haiti to €22.7m. The move is to be formally announced at an emergency meeting of EU development ministers in Brussels on Monday.
Have your say...
Please enter your comments below.