Haiti

Health partners in Haiti are responding promptly to increasing cases of cholera in the Ouest department to ensure that the new infections do not spread to the capital, Port-au-Prince, a spokesperson for the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) said today.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today appointed Mariano Fernández, a former foreign minister from Chile, as his next Special Representative for Haiti and head of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Caribbean nation.

Welcoming Haiti's first ever transfer of power from one democratically elected president to one from the opposition, the United Nations has urged the country's new leader, his Government and the people to harness the political goodwill to “rebuild together a new Haiti.”

The United Nations and its partners today congratulated Haiti's President-elect Michel Martelly on his poll victory, saying the world body looked forward to working closely with his administration once it is inaugurated on 14 May.

Haitian President-elect Michel Martelly has criticised the "desperately slow" pace of reconstruction in his country.

The United Nations envoy for Haiti said today that the recent successful electoral process in the Caribbean nation is a demonstration of the resilience of its people and an indication of their determination to build a better country for themselves.

Haitians must embrace the rule of law to advance peace and prosperity, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stresses in a new report, adding that the country and its new leadership will require sustained international support to achieve this goal amid a set of daunting challenges.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed new force commanders for the United Nations missions responsible for helping to foster stability in the Middle East and in Haiti. … Mr. Ban has also appointed Major General Luiz Eduardo Ramos Pereira of Brazil as Force Commander of the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), which has been on the ground since mid-2004 when violence erupted in the small Caribbean nation.

The international community gave its blessing on Monday to Haiti's presidential run-off and urged Haitians to calmly wait for the first results due next week to ensure a credible, transparent outcome.