UN admits involvment in introducing cholera to Haiti
Following inadequate sewage treatment at UN base, cholera was introduced into Haiti's biggest river in 2010 resulting in the sickening of 800,000 people; UN cites diplomatic immunity in protection from legal action.
Researchers say there is ample evidence that cholera was introduced to Haiti's biggest river in October, 2010 by inadequately treated sewage from a UN peacekeeping base when a local contractor failed to properly sanitize the waste. The United Nations has never accepted responsibility and has answered lawsuits on behalf of victims in US courts by claiming diplomatic immunity.
UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq's statement referring to the UN's "own involvement," which was sent to the Associated Press on Thursday, came a step closer to an admission of at least some responsibility and was welcomed by lawyers for the victims.
According to government figures, cholera has sickened more than 800,000 people, or about 7 percent of Haiti's population, and has killed more than 9,200. As of March, it was killing an average of 37 people a month.
Haiti is the poorest country in the Western hemisphere and only 24 percent of Haitians have access to a toilet. Sewage is rarely treated and safe water remains inaccessible to many.
"This is a major victory for the thousands of Haitians who have been marching for justice, writing to the UN and bringing the UN to court," said Mario Joseph, a Haitian human rights attorney whose law firm has led a high-profile claim on behalf of 5,000 cholera victims who blame the UN for introducing the disease.
In a decision issued late Thursday, a US federal appeals panel in New York upheld immunity for the UN and affirmed a lower court's 2015 judgment dismissing that case. Cholera victims and their lawyers have 90 days to decide if they will seek an appeal with the US Supreme Court.
Meanwhile, Haq said that the United Nations has been considering a series of options, and "a significantly new set of UN actions" will be presented publicly within the next two months.
"We've been trying to see exactly what we can do about our own particular role as this has been going on" and how "to bring this outbreak to a close," Haq said. However, he wouldn't say whether reparations were under consideration.
Five UN human rights experts criticized the United Nations in a letter to top UN officials late last year for its "effective denial of the fundamental right of the victims of cholera to justice."
At least one lawsuit was dismissed because of the UN's diplomatic immunity claim.
Haq reiterated Thursday that the UN's legal position in claiming diplomatic immunity "has not changed."
Researchers said cholera was first detected in the central Artibonite Valley and cited evidence that it was introduced to Haiti's biggest river from a UN base where Nepalese troops were deployed as part of a peacekeeping operation which has been in the country since 2004. Cholera is endemic in Nepal.
In December 2012, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced a $2.27 billion initiative to help eradicate cholera in Haiti and the neighboring Dominican Republic, which share the island of Hispaniola, but the ambitious 10-year plan is underfunded. According to a report last November, only $307 million has been received.
Haq said the announcement of UN plans for new action to address cholera was made in response to a draft report by the UN special investigator on extreme poverty and human rights.
Ahead of its release, likely in late September, he said "we wanted to take this opportunity to welcome this vital report."
Haq said its findings and recommendations "will be a valuable contribution to the UN as we work towards a significantly new set of UN actions."
