Statement by Ambassador Susan E. Rice, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, on the One Year Anniversary of the Earthquake in Haiti

Susan E. Rice
U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations 
U.S. Mission to the United Nations 

New York, NY

January 12, 2011

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

One year ago, the people of Haiti were struck by an earthquake that lasted 47 seconds but killed more than 220,000 people and left countless more wounded and desperate. Its human and economic cost remains the worst of any natural disaster recorded in the Western Hemisphere. Its toll on the United Nations – most especially the lives of 102 UN agency and peacekeeping personnel – was profound. On the anniversary of this devastating earthquake, the United States expresses its deepest condolences to the victims, their families, and the UN family. And we offer our steadfast support to the people of Haiti as they rise to meet their many remaining challenges.

Haiti faces a long and difficult road to recovery. During this remembrance, we must rededicate ourselves to empowering and strengthening the capacity of Haiti’s institutions to bind the wounds of its past and secure a stronger, more prosperous future for its people.

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