12 January 2011

Bonn, Germany: On 12 January 2010, at 16:53:09 local time, an earthquake of a magnitude of 7.0 on the Richter scale struck Haiti affecting 3 million people. The earthquake directly affected Port-au-Prince, Léogane, Petit and Grand Goave and Jacmel, causing over 222,570 deaths and 300,572 injuries.  The widespread destruction in Port-au-Prince left over 1.5 million people homeless, many of whom resettled in over 1,354 spontaneous settlement sites across the earthquake affected area, while 661,000 people fled the capital for the regions.  

One year later, the people of Haiti are holding a series of events throughout the month of January to commemorate the anniversary of the 2010 earthquake.  There will be commemorative religious services and a national vigil to remember and honour those who died in the quake.  In a special ceremony, the Ministry for the Status of Women and the Rights of Women will pay homage to the women who disappeared during the earthquake. The Haitian National Archives will open registries in city halls across the country to record the names of persons who died or went missing on 12 January.

At 16:53 local time on 12 January 2011, Haitians throughout the country will observe a minute of silence, joined, no doubt, by expatriate Haitians and friends wherever they may be.

As part of its commemorative program, the Government of Haiti is also encouraging Haitians to celebrate life and turn their attention to the future, to healing and to rebuilding their nation. 

The UN lost 102 friends and colleagues during the earthquake, the single biggest loss of life ever experienced by the United Nations. The United Nations in Haiti will mark the anniversary of the 12 January 2010 earthquake with a series of events to commemorate the UN victims. 

The new Town Hall room at the new Interim Headquarters will be inaugurated and a plaque unveiled in honour of the UN victims of Haiti’s earthquake.  Later, an artistic monument in honour of the UN victims will be unveiled in front of the new office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG).  An exhibition of pictures of the aftermath of the earthquake and a video of the March 2010 memorial service in New York will be on display throughout the day.

The day’s commemorative events will close with a ceremony to honour the UN earthquake victims which will involve UN civilian, military and police personnel, guests of honour, the diplomatic community, local authorities and visiting family of UN agencies and humanitarian organizations serving there.

Three serving UN Volunteers were among the earthquake’s fatalities: Nicole Lola Bahaya (Democratic Republic of Congo), Mamadi Condé (Guinea), and Nivah Odwori (Kenya).

To mark the anniversary of the earthquake and commemorate the service of the UNV victims, the United Nations Volunteer programme will hold a Town Hall Meeting the morning of 13 January for UN Volunteers serving in Haiti. A video about the late colleagues will be shown and their friends will present a memorial in their honour.

Kevin Gilroy, Chief of Peace Division with UNV Headquarters in Bonn, travelled to Haiti to support the UN Volunteers in these difficult moments.  In addressing the gathering, he will deliver a message from Flavia Pansieri, the Executive Coordinator of UNV focusing on Haiti's reconstruction, future and hope for the country and its people.

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