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A transitional school constructed by UNOPS, on behalf of UMCOR. Photo:UNOPS/Marc Lee Steed |
Since the 2010 earthquake, UNOPS has scaled up its operations to assist in the country’s early recovery. Read a full report of how UNOPS has helped Haitians and supported partners in 2011 - Rebuilding Haiti: Annual Report 2011.
UNOPS approach in Haiti
UNOPS has adopted an approach to help ensure that aid money spent on Haiti is spent in Haiti. UNOPS also believes that the relief and reconstruction Haiti needs can only be achieved in close conjunction with the Government. Therefore UNOPS has developed a strong partnership with the Ministry of Public Works in order to ensure national ownership, develop capacity and promote sustainability.
UNOPS work in Haiti can be classified into seven broad sectors:
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General Infrastructure
Structural damage assessments
Since 2010, UNOPS has been providing technical support to the Ministry of Public Works for the assessment of structural damage to over 400,000 buildings, with funding from the World Bank and the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery. Local engineers were trained to conduct the assessments and an office was established within the Ministry to manage the information captured during the assessments, in the form of a national infrastructure database.
Road rehabilitation
Building on its expertise from similar projects, UNOPS implemented two road rehabilitation and livelihood projects in 2011:
- The rehabilitation of approximately 35 km of a secondary road leading to Bainet, funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida)
- The reconstruction of 12km of the Ouanaminthe rural road, implemented on behalf of the European Commission and the Food and Agriculture Organization.
Debris management
UNOPS is working with the Ministry of Public Works, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Human Settlements Programme and the International Labour Organization (ILO) to manage debris in six neighbourhoods of the capital, including demolishing building remains, and recycling or disposing of debris.
As part of this project, implemented on behalf of the Haiti Reconstruction Fund and UNDP, UNOPS established a well-functioning debris management site in Pacot along with a debris crushing and sorting site in downtown Port-au-Prince.
Disaster risk reduction
With funding from Sida and the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, UNOPS implemented a broad range of disaster preparedness and risk reduction activities throughout the country, such as cholera awareness raising, infrastructure mitigation works, latrine emptying and cleaning, and the distribution of medical kits.
Housing
16/ 6 resettlement project
The 16 Neighbourhoods/6 Camps project (16/6) is a Government initiative to provide an integrated response to the closing of six camps and the resettlement of displaced people. The project aims to improve the options and quality of life of people returning to their neighbourhoods of origin by addressing the urgent physical infrastructure and social problems of selected communities.
The 16/6 project is funded by the Haiti Reconstruction Fund, and is being implemented by a partnership between the Government of Haiti, the International Organization for Migration, UNDP, ILO, and UNOPS.
Transitional Shelters
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The production and construction of transitional wooden shelters started in 2010, as a more durable solution to the tents being used in many camps. In 2011, the shelter component consisted of four projects funded by the European Commission’s Office for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO), the American Red Cross, the Government of Sweden and Islamic Relief Worldwide.
'Yellow' house repairs
UNOPS also focused on the provision of support to families with damaged houses (marked yellow during assessment). In addition to making the necessary repairs for homes to be safe, this ECHO-funded project also seeks to improve the construction culture.
Water and sanitation
Desludging management
UNOPS has worked closely with Haiti’s water and sanitation authority, DINEPA, to establish and manage a fleet of 32 trucks to empty latrines in IDP camps and cholera treatment facilities in Port-au-Prince, in a project funded by ECHO and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Treatment facility for human waste
With the support of CERF, ECHO, UNICEF, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and the American Red Cross, DINEPA and UNOPS built the first- environmentally friendly human waste treatment facility in Haiti.
Health
Departmental hospital in Gonaives
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| A UNOPS worker distributing leaflets on cholera risk reduction, with funding from SIDA. Photo: UNOPS Mobilization Team |
In collaboration with the Ministry of Public Works and the Ministry of Health, through funding from the Canadian International Development Agency, UNOPS is managing the construction, equipping and institutional capacity-building of a departmental hospital in Gonaives. This 7,000 m2 facility will provide 200-beds and approximately 280 consultations per day.
Community hospitals and laboratories
On behalf of the Brazilian Health Ministry and through an agreement with UNDP, UNOPS is in the process of constructing and equipping 3 community hospitals, 1 rehabilitation centre and 2 laboratories, as well as procuring 30 fully equipped ambulances.
Maternity clinics
Following a request from the Haitian Health Ministry and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), UNOPS is supporting the construction and rehabilitation of 10 maternity clinics located in earthquake-affected areas. Each clinic has a total surface of approximately 150 m2 and consists of birthing facilities, and observation and nursing rooms.
Education
In 2011, UNOPS and the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) constructed 11 transitional school buildings at four sites in the Tabarre Issa neighbourhood. This collaboration was based on UNOPS experience with UMCOR in an earlier transitional school construction project in the Corail camp immediately following the earthquake.
Each of the classrooms is 50m2 in size, with capacity for 50 students. Latrines, canteens and water catchment systems also have been built.
Environment
Côte Sud Initiative
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and its partners have been developing a long-term rural sustainable development initiative for 10 communes in the south-west of Haiti. The project is implemented by a partnership that includes the governments of Haiti and Norway, UNEP, UNOPS, Catholic Relief Services, and four community-based organizations, among others.
UNOPS is responsible for the overall management of the feasibility phase of the project.
Industrial biogas feasibility study
It is estimated that 75 percent of Port-au-Prince’s solid waste is organic. An industrial biodigester would permit the transformation of most of the city’s organic waste into electricity, creating up to 15 megawatt (about 10 percent of the country’s power consumption) and numerous jobs.
UNOPS is executing a feasibility study to provide a complete assessment of the context prior to the construction of an industrial biodigester in Haiti, in partnership with UNEP and the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
Support to MINUSTAH
Since 2007, UNOPS has provided support to the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), by operating outreach multimedia centres, used to promote the importance of reconciliation and national dialogue. UNOPS is also in charge of staffing and running a network of 13 communications centres that provide a 24/7 radio communications system.