"We must be realistic [...] the road ahead will be long and hard", said Friday during a press conference at the UN headquarters in New York, the Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, stressing that the reconstruction in Haiti was "slow" and that the "international aid and investment has not come as quickly as needed".

"As we continue to help Haiti to rebuild, we must not only fulfil essential needs in areas such as clean water and sanitation, health care and jobs; we must also prioritize improvements in security and the rule of law," emphasized Ban Ki-moon.

He also noted also that "the political situation remains extremely delicate", given the challenges not yet resolved on the outcome of the first round of the november elections. "The challenge for the UN mission during this testing passage is, first, to maintain security; and second, to help a new, legitimate government that enjoys the support of the population get on its feet and fulfil its responsibilities to the Haitian people".

Adding that "despite the manifest difficulties, we are making progress. The number of people living in camps is half of what it was at the peak of the emergency. We are providing clean water to approximately 1 million people every day and food to 2 million people each month"...

PI/ HaitiLibre