UNITED NATIONS -- The United Nations (UN) on Wednesday remembered the victims of the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti last year.In the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, staff at the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti gathered for memorial events which included a formal ceremony and the unveiling of a monument in honor of UN staff members who were killed in the earthquake. Among the attendees was UN's peacekeeping operations chief, Under-Secretary-General Alain Le Roy.
Meanwhile, at the UN Headquarters in New York, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon took part in a wreath-laying ceremony on Wednesday afternoon, timed to coincide with the hour at which the earthquake struck - at 4:53 p.m. local time on January 12, 2010.
Participants were asked to solemnly observe silence for a period of 47 seconds, which was the duration of the earthquake. With a magnitude of 7.0 on the Richter scale, the earthquake killed over 316,000 people, injured more than 300,000 others and displaced 2.3 million people - nearly one quarter of the country's population. It was one of the deadliest earthquakes in modern history.
The devastating earthquake leveled Haiti's capital, delivered a severe blow to the already fragile economy and infrastructure, and impeded nation-building efforts in the country. In addition, 102 UN staff members perished, constituting the highest loss of life from a single event in UN history.
At the memorial ceremony in Port-au-Prince, Le Roy delivered a message on behalf of the Secretary-General in which he called on the world to live up to the solidarity expressed in the wake of the earthquake, including at the Haiti Donors' Conference last March.
Le Roy also paid particular tribute to the dedication of UN staff in Haiti who survived the earthquake and worked to save lives in the following hours and days, as well as the hundreds of other UN staff from duty stations around the world who responded immediately to the call for volunteers.
At the memorial event in New York, Ban paid tribute to those who perished in the disaster and expressed solidarity with those who survived. "Today, we gather in solidarity - with the people of Haiti, with one another, with all who lost their loved ones on that tragic day, to the families of our 102 fallen colleagues, to all who suffered injuries, physical and emotional, we offer our deepest sympathies," Ban stated.
The Secretary-General also noted that after a slow start, recovery and reconstruction is finally beginning in earnest in Haiti, with water being provided to one million people every day, food to two million people every month, and plans to help a new Haitian government get on its feet and fulfill its responsibilities to its people.
"On this sad and solemn occasion, I want to say: The United Nations, the entire international community, stood by Haiti and its people in their darkest hour - together, we will walk with them toward a brighter future," he said, reaffirming the UN system's commitment to assisting the people of Haiti to rebuild their country.
Other events were held by the UN in Lebanon and Kosovo.
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