EU earmarks €7.5 m to address acute hunger in Haiti, Dominican Republic

03 / 07 / 2023

By Marwa Nassar - -

The European Union (EU) earmarked €7.5 million to the World Food Program’s (WFP) operations in Haiti and the Dominican Republic to assist those worst affected by acute hunger in light of the global hunger crisis and unprecedented humanitarian needs.

At a time when conflict, insecurity, climate extremes and economic shocks are pushing more and more people into extreme levels of food insecurity, funding from the EU helped WFP run its cash assistance programs in Haiti and the Dominican Republic over a period of nine months.

The contribution, made through the EU’s Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations department (DG ECHO), also helped WFP maintain the UN Humanitarian Air Service in Haiti, which plays a key role in guaranteeing safe transport for humanitarian workers and aid across the country.

“The scale of the current global hunger crisis remains enormous. In the region of Latin America and the Caribbean, food insecurity has been on the rise. Countries like Haiti are ‘forgotten’ crises, with nearly 5 million Haitians going hungry in silence,” said WFP Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean Lola Castro. “We’re very grateful for the European Union’s support — they continue to step up to help some of the most vulnerable people in the region.”

“Fighting hunger is one of our global priorities and it is especially important to do so in Haiti, where about half of the country does not have enough to eat and where the future does not look bright. On top of this, the country is also experiencing an extreme level of violence, pushing tens of thousands of people in an even deeper and more worrisome vulnerability,” said Alvaro De Vicente, Head of the Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean of the European Union Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Department. “Through this humanitarian funding, we reiterate our commitment to support the most vulnerable people in the region.”

The EU’s contribution — part of extraordinary funding at the end of 2022 to address the food crisis worldwide — came at a critical time for WFP’s operations in Haiti, which has one of the highest levels of food insecurity in the world. The country is currently facing a deepening humanitarian crisis with its complex emergency situation being compounded by violence, insecurity, economic woes and climate shocks.

In the Dominican Republic, despite sustained economic growth and stability during the past decades, food security has continued to deteriorate due to poverty, recurrent natural shocks, the impact of the COVID-19 crisis and the ripple effects of the conflict in Ukraine.