UN launches $74 million fund to support Cuba’s recovery after Hurricane Melissa

The United Nations has announced a US$74 million appeal to support Cuba’s recovery from the devastating impacts of Hurricane Melissa, which left widespread destruction across the island’s eastern provinces.

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According to the UN, approximately 2.2 million Cubans remain in urgent need of assistance in Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Holguín, and Guantánamo following the passage of the Category 5 storm. The newly launched Plan of Action will bolster the government’s national response and focus on critical areas such as health, water and sanitation, shelter, education, and early recovery, with particular attention to women, children, and vulnerable populations.

UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq said that the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) had already released US$4 million in emergency funding before the storm struck, while various UN agencies have unlocked an additional US$7 million. That still leaves a funding gap of about US$64 million to meet pressing humanitarian needs.

Meanwhile, the UN reported worsening conditions in Haiti, where 43 people have died and more than 16,000 have been displaced due to the same hurricane system. The coastal town of Petit-Goâve recorded the highest number of casualties, with 25 deaths. OCHA teams and representatives from the World Food Programme (WFP) and UNICEF are currently on the ground working with local authorities to coordinate relief operations.

WFP said it needs US$18 million to provide assistance to nearly 190,000 people in Haiti, noting that food insecurity has sharply risen, with 40 percent of households in the hardest-hit communes now experiencing poor food consumption — a 20 percent increase since the disaster.

In related developments, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has expressed his government’s solidarity with Jamaica, one of the other Caribbean nations severely affected by Hurricane Melissa. During a call with Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness, who also serves as chair of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Carney pledged continued Canadian support through emergency food, water, and health assistance, as well as logistical backing via the Canadian Armed Forces’ operational support hub in Jamaica to facilitate regional relief efforts.