Leader in focus: UN Resident Coordinator in Haiti

Ulrika Richardson, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Haiti has spent the past 30 years of her career working to alleviate suffering in some of the most challenging humanitarian and conflict settings around the world. 

In a recent podcast interview ‘Awake at Night’ with the UN Under-Secretary General for Global Communications Melissa Fleming, the Resident Coordinator shares some of the formative experiences that have shaped her career as a humanitarian and reflects on what motivates her to keep fighting against hunger, disease and violence, that is gripping the people of Haiti today. 

From struggling with the feeling of not doing enough, to finding strength in people and principles, this is what is keeping Ulrika awake at night and keeps her going the next day.  

The struggle to do ‘enough’ 

‘I think we often feel that we don't do enough. It is normally a feeling at the end of the day is like, ‘Yeah, well, we did this but,  we could have done more, For example, I pick up the phone and speak to my colleagues in the agencies- if they've been able to help in certain neighbourhoods, with mobile clinics to support some of the victims of the sexual violence and get help to women who have been subject to rape. That feels very meaningful. 

When I visit cholera treatment centres and I see that yes, children are being helped. Babies who are extremely skinny. You can't get the rehydration liquid in because they're so dehydrated already. So, it's difficult, but when we see that you can help people and when you speak to some of those staff in those health centres and they say “We haven't had one mortality. Not one death in the last week.” Then, you share that joy. That makes your day when you hear it.’

Images of suffering stay with you 

‘I think when you see people suffer, those images stay with you. When I speak to colleagues and people that you can confide in and, you can cry a little bit, because you need to evacuate some of those feelings, right? But I think when you go to sleep, you have those images. And I think that keeps you awake, and it should keep you awake.

When I went to meet with young women who've been raped, I had a conversation with maybe five, six of them... It was difficult to talk to them because I didn't want them to tell me their story. That's not why I was there, to sort of agonize them. It was more to hear, what they were thinking. 

You could see that they were moving forward. But that's also difficult when you see young girls of 14 and 15 who were already mothers and out of rape.  But  they were really courageous, so that hope also, makes you be able to sleep at the end of the day. But I think about those images.’

Scale of challenges can be motivating 

'In Haiti the gangs now hold basically 60% of the capital in their grip. So what people are facing is really the risk of being caught in line of fire.   Women in particular, are at risk of being raped. Rape is used as a very common form of instilling fear to punish, to deter. 

Food is also a big problem in Haiti. Haiti was self-sufficient in rice production before the 1980s. Then there was sort of free market structural adjustment.  Since then, Haiti now depends almost 100% on food imports, including rice. You don't find all that much here because the gangs have also blocked the access to the food producing south and to the north industrial zones. So, that combined with the insecurity- it's really painful and it's heartbreaking when you see what people have to go through. 

I would say on the one hand it’s extremely motivating. It's enormously interesting and motivating;  because the complexity of it is really intriguing in that sense. But at the same time, I feel bad about saying that it's interesting and motivating, because there is so much suffering that just those words don't fit with the reality of what Haitians are feeling.  But it's not impossible. And I think that is what keeps me going, a lot of us going, is that we see that it's possible.'

Finding joy in people: we aren’t born to be alone 

‘What I think mostly attaches you to place is the teams and the officers. So, for me, I always tried to get to know people that I work with. Because you spend 10 hours a day at least with them, if not more. It’s really the people around you that makes such a difference. And I know that at the UN, there's a lot of perception about who we are and what we do.

It sounds idealistic but we are idealistic. It is an idealistic organization. But I think if you don't have ideals, I think it would be very difficult. I always say, when I speak to younger staff that if they feel that they have a heart in the UN, stay. Because I say the UN will need every good, young energy, and individual. Because there is a huge task to do.

At the end of the day, we are very collective human beings.  We were not born to be alone. We all need time alone, because that's when we sort of also recharge a bit. But I think everyone can be helpful to others. Be there, listen, and  just try to understand and be curious about the world around you, and people around you.'

Walking as meditation 

‘In my downtime I walk, which is a challenge in Haiti, because we can't walk outside. And basically, we can't walk on the streets. We shouldn't move outside after 6:00pm or 7:00pm. So then where I live, I can walk around in circles. And I do it for an hour. But there are trees and flowers and lovely orchids and birds and stuff. You just have to forget that you look silly. And so, it's a bit of a meditation.  Even if it's late at night, I do 10 minutes but normally I try to get an hour of walking in the evenings and then maybe a little yoga before I go to bed.’

Listen to the full podcast interview here. This piece was adapted by UN DCO from the interview transcript. For more information about the work of the UN in Haiti visit  Haiti.un.org.  

Learn more about the Resident Coordinator’s role in Haiti here.