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The UN responsibility for the cholera outbreak in Haiti 2016, para. 40
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- The global media has been systematically critical of the United Nations. For example, the Economist has accused the United Nations of dodging its responsibility, the New York Times argues that it has "failed to face up to its role in [Haiti's] continuing tragedy", Business Insider has referred to the cholera outbreak as "the UN's Watergate", the Washington Post has commented that "by refusing to acknowledge responsibility, the United Nations jeopardizes its standing and moral authority".
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
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The UN responsibility for the cholera outbreak in Haiti 2016, para. 28
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- On 3 November 2011, a petition was lodged with MINUSTAH on behalf of some 5,000 cholera victims claiming (a) a fair and impartial hearing; (b) monetary compensation; (c) preventive action by the United Nations; and (d) a public acknowledgement of United Nations responsibility and a public apology. Sixteen months later the Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs replied, noting that "the United Nations is extremely saddened by the catastrophic outbreak of cholera, and the Secretary-General has expressed his profound sympathy for the terrible suffering caused by the cholera outbreak". The Under-Secretary-General went on to make what seems to be an indirect reference to the theory that the earthquake that had occurred nine months earlier was the real culprit: "The cholera outbreak was not only an enormous national disaster, but was also a painful reminder of Haiti's vulnerability in the event of a national emergency." After recalling the independent panel's "confluence of circumstances" and no fault findings, the Under-Secretary-General deemed the claims "not receivable pursuant to Section 29 of the 1946 Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations". That provision requires the United Nations to provide for appropriate modes of settlement of disputes of a private law character to which it is a party, but the Under-Secretary-General considered the claims not to be of a "private law character" because their consideration "would necessarily include a review of political and policy matters".
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
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The UN responsibility for the cholera outbreak in Haiti 2016, para. 89
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- Going forward, the role of Member States will be absolutely crucial. Although more lives have been lost in Haiti to cholera than were lost in the entire Ebola epidemic in Africa, too many States have so far wrongly assumed that the case of Haiti is too hard to resolve. States that provide substantial support to the peacekeeping budget, particularly the United States, which is the principal contributor, should actively champion a resolution to this ongoing crisis that respects the rights of the victims and best serves the reputational and other interests of the United Nations. A failure to do so will cause irreparable harm to the Organization and the esteem in which it is held around the world.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Humanitarian
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
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The UN responsibility for the cholera outbreak in Haiti 2016, para. 44
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- The opinion of the Office of Legal Affairs has provided a convenient justification for States to avoid engagement on the responsibility of the United Nations for the cholera epidemic in Haiti. Although the Security Council authorized the deployment of peacekeepers to Haiti and regularly reviews the status of the mission, it has notably failed to address the issue of the Organization's responsibility for the introduction of cholera. In June 2016 a bipartisan group of 158 members of the United States Congress stated that "each day that passes without an appropriate U.N. response is a tragedy for Haitian cholera victims and a stain on the U.N.'s reputation", and called upon the United States Secretary of State to pressure the United Nations to compensate the victims. Leading newspapers, including the New York Times, the Washington Post and the Boston Globe, endorsed this call to focus on the misdeeds of the United Nations. Yet there is much to be said for the view that without the acquiescence, if not the active support, of the United States and other Security Council members, the abdication approach would not have been adopted by the United Nations.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Humanitarian
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The UN responsibility for the cholera outbreak in Haiti 2016, para. 32
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- Claims received in the context of peacekeeping operations are often solved amicably, but the United Nations keeps all such matters confidential. A former official responsible for such claims over a 10-year period identified only one other case of non-receivability on these grounds, which related to Kosovo. That case was also referred to in the 2014 letter to the special procedures mandate holders. It involved a claim for damages resulting from lead contamination in camps established by the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). The claims were rejected by the United Nations on the grounds that they amounted to a review of the performance of the mission's mandate. Two other cases in which the United Nations had rejected claims were noted in the 2014 letter. One was against the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda for failing to protect victims of the 1994 genocide and the other was against the United Nations Protection Force for failing to protect the inhabitants of Srebrenica in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1995.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
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The World Bank and human rights 2015, para. 23
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- There are, however, some Bank studies which enter into detail on the issue of human rights, such as those in its annual flagship publication, the World Development Report dealing with issues such as equity, gender equality, conflict resolution, HIV/AIDS and disability. In 2006 the World Development Report urged that equity should be a central concern in the design and implementation of development policy. It noted that the "international human rights regime testifies to the shared belief that all should have equal rights and be spared extreme deprivation," and acknowledged various other links between human rights and equity. In 2011, the World Development Report focused on conflict, security and development. The message of the report was that strengthening legitimate institutions and governance to provide security, justice and jobs for citizens is crucial to breaking cycles of violence in fragile countries. Building confidence is a major challenge and one that requires the protection of human rights. Detailed suggestions are explored for achieving that goal.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Humanitarian
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
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