Latin America & The Caribbean Weekly Situation Update as of 19 April 2024 – Haiti

KEY FIGURES

62 tonnes of humanitarian relief delivered in Haiti

8K indigenous people confined in Bojaya, Colombia

22% of the region’s SDG targets are on track for achievement by 2030

HAITI: HUMANITARIAN AIR BRIDGE

The European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) has launched a Humanitarian Air Bridge to address the worsening humanitarian crisis in Haiti amid surging violence and insecurity. Five flights carrying essential supplies, including up to 62 tonnes of medicines, emergency shelter equipment and water and sanitation items, have landed in Cap Haïtien, as the international airport in Portau-Prince has been closed since the beginning of March. Of this, 24 tonnes are from the EU’s own stockpile in Panama, including blankets, hygiene kits and kitchen sets. This effort is part of the European Humanitarian Response Capacity, complemented by a €20 million humanitarian aid release announced on 13 March.

COLOMBIA: VIOLENCE

Since February, indigenous communities residing near the Bojayá, Uva and Tujea rivers, in the municipality of Bojaya, Chocó department, have faced threats and theft of goods by non-state armed groups (NSAG). Additionally, the recent incursion of one NSAG into areas controlled by another has escalated the risk of clashes. These developments have forced indigenous communities into confinement, affecting a total of 8,054 people (1,631 families) from 45 Emberá indigenous communities in the indigenous reserves of Bojayá. In the municipality of Litoral del San Juan, 453 people (104 families) of the Wounaan communities of Tiocilidio, Santa Rosa de Nalde and Unión Negrita have also been affected by the presence of an NSAG attempting to steal their boats and cell phones. Consequently, the communities opted to confine themselves to avoid further harm.

REGIONAL: 2030 SDG AGENDA

During the seventh Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) reported that 22 per cent of the region’s Sustainable Development targets are on track for achievement by 2030, compared to 15 per cent globally. However, concerns arise as progress remains insufficient for 46 per cent of targets, with 32 per cent expected to be missed entirely. Challenges include rising extreme poverty (11.4 per cent in 2023), stagnant poverty rates (29.1 per cent), increased food insecurity (29.6 per cent in 2022), high homicide rates (19.9 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2021), and escalating climate disasters disproportionately impacting vulnerable populations. ECLAC underscores the interconnectedness of climate adaptation and reducing disaster risk, inequality and poverty, emphasizing the need for comprehensive efforts to enhance capacities and resilience.

ECUADOR: DROUGHT & ENERGY EMERGENCY

On 17 April, Ecuadorian authorities declared an energy emergency, amid a severe subregional drought fuelled by El Niño conditions. The country, which relies on hydropower plants to meet energy needs, has implemented rationing of water consumption for both human consumption and electricity generation. The crisis is further exacerbated as Colombia has halted electricity exports due to low reservoir levels, which currently sit at 29.8 percent of their capacity. Ecuador’s Energy Minister has called for the population to reduce energy and water consumption as they face the crisis. Experts warn that growing energy consumption in countries like Ecuador and Colombia increase the vulnerability of populations to impacts from extreme weather patterns such as El Niño.