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PORT-AU-PRINCE: UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Sunday made his second visit to Haiti since the country's killer earthquake in January, to hear the formidable challenges and progress made by aid groups.
In a meeting with of the various UN officials overseeing the massive relief operation in Haiti, Ban said he was "deeply grateful" for all they had done to date.
"I wanted to see for myself the progress made in the past two months," since his first visit on January 17, he said.
He said the trip would give him a much "clearer picture" of the situation ahead of a donors' conference at the UN headquarters in New York on March 31.
The officials seated at the table with Ban described a problematic situation which was staggering in its scale.
Damage equivalent to 120 per cent of Haiti's gross domestic product was caused in the January 12 quake, they said.
The impending rainy season was going to bring further misery to the 1.3 million homeless, only 60 per cent of whom had emergency shelter in the form of tents, tarpaulins or kits to build their own.
Security, especially for women and children, was of concern. Ban thanked them, and urged them to "try to be more creative, more productive" as they forged on.
Afterwards, in a joint media conference with Haitian President Rene Preval and Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive, Ban admitted that "we are a little behind" in providing shelter to the Haitians.
He said, though, that it was one of the main priorities for the United Nations.
- AFP/sc
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