OFFICE OF THE SPECIAL ENVOY FOR HAITI

ABOUT US:

In December 2012, Dr. Paul Farmer was appointed by the Secretary-General as his Special Adviser on Community Based Medicine and Lessons from Haiti. As Special Adviser to the Secretary-General Dr. Farmer is working closely with all key partners to help galvanize support for the elimination of cholera in Haiti. He is also providing guidance on how to improve health and well-being in resource poor settings based on his experience building models of community-based medicine.

One of the key initiatives of the United Nations Office of the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Community Based Medicine and Lessons from Haiti is the tracking of bilateral and multilateral aid post crises when systems are most vulnerable and donor governments make new pledges. Dr. Farmer's UN team has tracked aid pledged for humanitarian assistance and recovery in the following circumstances:

  • to Haiti post 2008 hurricanes;
  • to Haiti post 2010 earthquake;
  • to Haiti post 2010 cholera outbreak; and
  • to West Africa post Ebola crisis.

Dr. Farmer's team at the United Nations in partnership with UNDP, tracked donor pledges, commitments and disbursements toward Ebola recovery in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and the Mano River Union. Dr. Farmer’s office is using the data gathered from its tracking of bilateral and multilateral assistance to advise on lessons learned and how those can be applied in Haiti and other settings.