The United Nations Material Assistance to Survivors of Cholera in Haiti: Consulting Survivors and Rebuilding Trust

Conclusion A consultation process to inform the Material Assistance program for survivors of the cholera epidemic would offer the best chance to “get it right for victims and survivors” and design a program that is responsive to survivors’ needs and priorities while achieving broader goals of recognition of harm, mending relationships, and rebuilding trust. It is an opportunity for the U.N. to counter the perception that MINUSTAH has acted with impunity on Haitian territory. Importantly, this consultation must be seen as only the first step toward a meaningful engagement with communities. Lessons learned in engaging communities about assistance and reparation programs in other contexts offer a way forward for such a consultation. The U.N. should take advantage of the full range of tools at its disposal, employing innovative strategies, best practices, and the expertise that exists globally in communicating and connecting with survivors. This paper briefly addressed key questions that a consultation process must consider: who to consult, how to consult them, and what to ask. Our experience shows that methodologically rigorous consultation processes create a strong basis for dialogue and the design of effective assistance programs. U.N. Member States need to provide financial support for the New Approach, and in the meanwhile, the U.N. can think creatively about maximizing the impact of projects launched under the New Approach by communicating effectively with communities...
Source: PLOS Currents Disasters - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Source Type: research