Background and Challenges

Latest figures from January 2012 put 515,000 people still living in camps, exposed to safety hazards, threats of eviction, and the hazards posed by the rainy season and environmental matters. While these figures indicate a positive development, there remains an enormous challenge in helping to provide durable solutions for Haiti’s displaced population. Getting people out of camps and into suitable housing is vital to the eventual recovery of this long-suffering nation. However, the pace of camp exit has slowed in recent months, reflecting the complexity to find appropriate solutions of resettlement and highlighting a number of major obstacles that need to be overcome, including the provision of basic services to displaced people still living in camps, the construction of new homes and safer buildings, and addressing land tenure issues as well as longer-term environmental concerns. This situation requires a broad range of measures covering emergency (i.e. maintenance of humanitarian aid for the most vulnerable IDPs), recovery (i.e. creating durable conditions for return) and capacity development/contingency planning (i.e. to enhance disaster preparedness and mitigate vulnerability to hazards).

In accordance with IOM’s dual role as CampCoordination and CampManagement and Shelter Cluster lead, respectively, IOM’s activities in 2011 were directed at facilitating the orderly and rights-based exit of earthquake affected IDPs from the camps and spontaneous sites and their sustainable return to their communities of origin when possible. This was realized through multifaceted responses tailored to the specific situations of IDP communities. Such tailored approaches included returns to safer houses and T-shelters; relocations to safer settlement areas; and reconstruction of earthquake-affected communities to increase absorptive capacities of households and host communities.

 Awaiting camp closure and durable solutions, internally displaced persons need access to basic services such as WASH, health, protection, disease prevention and other protection from risk and vulnerability. IOM keeps on ensuring that basic needs of IDPs still living in camps are met by the implementation of activities including the provision of WASH and Health services, notably to respond to the cholera epidemic; protection measures such as the relocation of vulnerable individuals/families; awareness-raising on various topics, including health matters; provision of Non-Food Items such as hygiene kits, shelter kits and water filters; and disaster risk reduction activities including drainage system improvement, and canal maintenance and cleaning.

IOM also implemented projects participating in the early recovery of the country, including the rehabilitation of roads, schools and public buildings, rehabilitation of drainage canals, and soil conservation and re-forestation.