MEXICO: President Felipe Calderon announces $8 million donation after U.N. Haiti emergency appeal

Record ID: 303512

  • Title: MEXICO: President Felipe Calderon announces $8 million donation after U.N. Haiti emergency appeal
  • Date: 17th January 2010
  • Summary: MEXICO CITY, MEXICO (JANUARY 15, 2010) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF RED CROSS INSTALLATIONS / AID HELPERS VARIOUS OF MEXICAN PRESIDENT FELIPE CALDERON ARRIVING AT RED CROSS INSTALLATIONS AND GREETING AID WORKERS GENERAL VIEW OF CALDERON MEETING WITH RED CROSS WORKERS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) MEXICAN PRESIDENT FELIPE CALDERON, SAYING: "Today the United Nations urged all member countries to make a special donation and we've made an effort -this is what Mexicans are able to do- and Mexico is donating by the suggested U.N. time of 2 p.m. local time (2000 GMT), before the deadline. We are donating eight million dollars in addition to what all of you are doing which is much more valuable." CALDERON CLOSING DOOR OF TRUCK CARRYING AID FOR HAITI VICTIMS / APPLAUDING CALDERON SAYING GOODBYE AID BOXES VARIOUS OF RED CROSS WORKERS HELPING TO MOVE AID FOR EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS IN HAITI
  • Embargoed: 1st February 2010 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Mexico
  • Country: Mexico
  • Topics: International Relations,Disasters / Accidents / Natural catastrophes
  • Reuters ID: LVA2QRCPFC9X7G0IXEKUIQ8I0WCI
  • Story Text: Mexican President Felipe Calderon announced Mexico would donate $8 million dollars to aid Haiti on Friday (January 15) after U.N. aid agencies launched an emergency appeal to raise about $550 million to help survivors of the earthquake in Haiti.
    Calderon made the announcement while visiting Red Cross installations where workers helped to load trucks with aid donated by Mexican families for Haiti earthquake victims.
    "Today the United Nations urged all member countries to make a special donation and we've made an effort -this is what Mexicans are able to do- and Mexico is donating by the suggested U.N. time of 2 p.m. local time (2000 GMT), before the deadline. We are donating eight million dollars in addition to what all of you are doing which is much more valuable."
    Calderon smiled for the cameras as he closed the doors of a truck loaded with aid.
    The Mexican Red Cross said it had collected 160 tonnes of diverse aid on Thursday (January 14) and had collected 320 tonnes of aid on Friday (January 15). It will be taken to the port of Veracruz on Saturday (January 16) where it will be shipped to Haiti.
    Under the U.N. appeal, the World Food Programme will seek to provide life-saving food rations to 2 million destitute people for the next month. A longer-term operation is planned up to July 15.
    After initialing citing reports from partner agencies that its warehouses had been looted, the WFP later said it reached the Port-au-Prince warehouse in question and stocks were safe.
    The World Food Programme distributed food to 4,000 people gathered at the prime minister's compound in Port-au-Prince on Thursday following an earlier hand-out in the town of Jacmel.
    Tuesday's 7.0-magnitude earthquake flattened much of the Haitian capital. It is believed tens of thousands of people died and up to a million may be homeless or injured.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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