UN envoy calls on Spanish and Portuguese-speaking countries to support Haiti

The senior United Nations envoy for Haiti has called on officials attending the Ibero-American Summit in Costa Rica to support the impoverished Caribbean nation in its quest to achieve political stability and economic development.

The head of the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), Juan Gabriel Valdés, on Friday asked foreign ministers attending the Summit to urgently fund projects that can produce quick results, so that the Haitian people can observe tangible improvements and gain trust in the UN.

Mr. Valdes also emphasized the pioneering nature of the joint participation of troops from several Ibero-American countries, such as Guatemala, Peru, Chili, Argentina, Uruguay, Ecuador, Brazil and Spain, in MINUSTAH's work.

This Summit brings together 19 nations from the Americas plus Spain and Portugal.