translated from Spanish: Haiti earthquake: Argentina stands in solidarity and sends humanitarian aid

After the tragic earthquake in Haiti, which caused 1,297 fatalities and more than 5,700 injuries, the national government announced that it is preparing “humanitarian aid” to send to the Central American country. According to information, it will be through the Foreign Ministry headed by Felipe Solá and his White Helmets Commission. In this way, Argentina joins the various assistances by neighboring States and non-governmental organizations, such as the International Red Cross and Médecins Sans Frontières, among others.

“On the instruction of Foreign Minister Felipe Solá, in coordination with the Ministry of Defense, steps are being taken to coordinate the transfer of personnel from the White Helmets Commission to the site with the aim of providing health care and providing volunteers for the management of shelters, while maintaining permanent communication with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), in order to know the health needs in the emergency,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. At the same time, he said that “from the first hours of the 7.2 earthquake, White Helmets contacted the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), in order to know the current report of the situation in Haiti.” Realism of the seriousness of the problem, Argentina “made available to the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination Team (UNDAC) an official of that Commission who is part of the UNDAC team.”

The Argentine government will provide humanitarian assistance to Haiti and volunteers from the White Helmets Commission of the Foreign Ministry will travel to learn about health needs. Our Embassy is in contact with Argentine residents in Haiti.https://t.co/nFLggH88me pic.twitter.com/r3n40TL0lZ — Argentine Foreign Ministry (@CancilleriaARG)
August 15, 2021

In addition, he added that “all UNDAC members from Argentina were contacted to be attentive and available to the emergency in Haiti.” The official of the diplomatic ministry, Justo Chaves, said that the president of Cascos Blancos, Marina Cardelli, “as soon as the earthquake occurred, maintained communication with the Ambassador of Haiti in Argentina, D. Vilbert Bélizaire, in order to convey to him all the solidarity and willingness of The White Helmets and the Foreign Ministry to accompany his country in the face of the emergency.” For his part, “Ambassador Bélizaire thanked Argentina for its support and said that it will inform the humanitarian requirements,” as well as the Argentine Embassy in Haiti, headed by César Faes, maintains contact with the registered Argentine community that resides in its entirety far from the epicenter.

Original source in Spanish