Ban to travel to Haiti, Dominican Republic with focus on health, poverty reduction | WPN World People News

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will travel to Haiti and the Dominican Republic starting Monday to meet with senior government officials as well as to get a first-hand look at programmes designed to improve health and reduce poverty.

The UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) has partnered with Haitian Agencies to combat cholera by providing clean water.

In Haiti, he will visit a village in the Central Department to launch, with Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe, the country's “Total Sanitation Campaign,” which aims to scale up sanitation and hygiene interventions in rural areas.

He will also meet with the local community and with families which were affected by cholera, according to information provided by his spokesperson.

Since the beginning of the epidemic in October 2010, the UN has initiated a system-wide effort to support the Haitian Government to fight the disease. In December 2012, Mr. Ban launched an initiative for the elimination of cholera in Haiti and the Dominican Republic that focuses on prevention, treatment and education, as well as infrastructure planning for the long-term.

In the capital, Port-au-Prince, the Secretary-General will meet with President Michel Martelly as well as with parliamentarians, and interact with the UN Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH).

Also during his visit, Mr. Ban will inaugurate the “Sports for Hope” Centre with the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach.

While in the Dominican Republic, the Secretary-General will meet with President Danilo Medina and other officials, as well as address a joint session of Congress. He will also visit “Quisqueya sin Miseria,” an anti-poverty initiative focusing on the most vulnerable groups.