UN launches new appeal for Haiti victims

This includes over USD 600 million that has already come in from the first flash appeal launched shortly after the earthquake on January 12. The second appeal is effectively for USD 768 million.

"It is quite encouraging that we have received more than 100 per cent of funding for our appeal," Ban told journalists here. "The appeal that I have made today will be in the humanitarian assistance and early recovery."

"Now as this rainy season is coming to Haiti it will be extremely important for us to provide on a priority basis shelter, sanitation and all other necessary humanitarian assistance," he added.

On January 12, Haiti was hit by a 7.0-magnitude quake that devastated the capital city of Port-au Prince and killed more than 200,000 people.

The UN estimates that more than 3 million people -– one in every three Haitians -– were impacted by the earthquake. More that 2 million need regular food aid, while over 1.1 million people are homeless and living in makeshift camps.

The UN peacekeeping force, MINUSTAH, lost several of its personnel along with other staffers of other UN agencies making it the single biggest loss in the history of the world body.

"The security situation is relatively calm under control owing to the work of MINUSTAH and food delivery systems are well working," Ban said. "The Haitian government are now on their own feet."

Ban was accompanied by Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes and Haiti's envoy to the UN Leo Merores.

"We've achieved a lot in the first month particularly in areas like water and food and health. Some of those emergency needs have been met but we recognise that we have a lot further to go," said Holmes. "We're just getting towards realising the full scale of this catastrophe."