Experts Call for UN Action on Cholera in Haiti

Last week, more than 40 experts in human rights, international law, and public health, including Professor Inga Winkler, signed an open letter to call on the UN Secretary General to design robust remedies for the victims of cholera in Haiti.

 

Almost six years after the cholera outbreak on October 2010, the United Nations recently admitted that it played a role in the outbreak. At the opening of the UN General Assembly, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stated that he felt “tremendous regret and sorrow at the profound suffering of Haitians affected by cholera." He explained that the United Nations is now developing a package of material assistance.

 

The experts stressed in the open letter that remedies must include a public apology, compensation for victims, and full funding for cholera elimination, based on transparency and inclusive victim participation.

 

The letter was coordinated by Yale’s Global Health Justice Partnership and Yale Law School’s Transnational Development Clinic and was delivered on September 19, 2016.