US ambassador to UN visits Haiti, announces new aid

US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield, left, chats with Godfrey Otunga, Kenyan head of a UN-backed multinational police force, alongside Haitian Police Chief Normil Rameau at a welcome demonstration from Kenyan police at their base in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday, July 22, 2024. (AP)
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Updated 23 July 2024
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US ambassador to UN visits Haiti, announces new aid

PORT-AU-PRINCE: The US ambassador to the United Nations visited crisis-wracked Haiti on Monday, where she announced $60 million in additional humanitarian aid and received updates on the Kenya-led security support mission.

Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield held talks with the country’s transitional presidential council and new Prime Minister Garry Conille during the day-long trip.

“Haitians deserve free and fair elections and a government that is truly accountable to the people,” she said during a press conference.

The ambassador also announced $60 million was being provided via USAID to contribute “significant US funding for additional security assets and humanitarian assistance for Haiti,” according to a news release.

The funds will go toward food, water, shelter and other essential needs, and comes on top of $105 million the United States had previously committed to Haiti.

Thomas-Greenfield’s visit comes just days after recently deployed Kenyan police started patrolling parts of the capital Port-au-Prince.

Kenya is deploying hundreds of police officers as part of an international force to help Haiti tackle its soaring insecurity.

The country has long been rocked by gang violence, but conditions sharply worsened at the end of February when armed groups launched coordinated attacks in Port-au-Prince, saying they wanted to overthrow then-prime minister Ariel Henry.

Unelected and unpopular, Henry stepped down in April, handing over control to the transitional government, tasked with leading the country toward its first elections since 2016.

Conille last week announced emergency measures to combat unrest in 14 communes reeling under the control of gangs.

The UN-approved, Kenya-led mission, with an initial duration of one year, will total 2,500 personnel from countries that also include Bangladesh, Benin, Chad, the Bahamas and Barbados.

The United States has ruled out sending forces, but is contributing funding and logistical support to the mission, including a “significant number” of armored vehicles.

The violence in Port-au-Prince has affected food security and humanitarian aid access, with much of the city in the hands of gangs accused of abuses including murder, rape, looting and kidnappings.


Indonesia’s first woman president awarded honorary doctorate by Princess Nourah University

Updated 10 February 2026
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Indonesia’s first woman president awarded honorary doctorate by Princess Nourah University

  • Megawati was recognized for her leadership and contributions to social, legal affairs
  • She has received 10 other honorary degrees from Indonesian and foreign institutions

JAKARTA: Megawati Sukarnoputri, who served as Indonesia’s fifth president and was the country’s only female head of state to date, has been awarded an honorary doctorate by Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University in Riyadh, becoming the first foreign national to receive the title.

Megawati, the eldest daughter of Indonesia’s first President Sukarno and chairwoman of the country’s largest political party, the PDIP, served as president from 2001 to 2004.

The 79-year-old was awarded an honorary doctorate in organizational and legal affairs in Riyadh on Monday during a ceremony overseen by Princess Nourah University’s acting president, Dr. Fawzia bint Sulaiman Al-Amro.

“This recognition was given in appreciation of her efforts during her presidency, her significant contributions to social, organizational, and legal fields, and her role in strengthening institutional leadership in Indonesia,” the university said in a statement.

This is Megawati’s 11th honorary doctorate. She has received similar degrees from Indonesian and foreign universities, including the Moscow State Institute of International Relations in 2003 and the Soka University of Japan in 2020.

She has also been awarded the title of honorary professor by several institutions, including by the Seoul Institute of the Arts in 2022.

“We gather at the Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, a university that stands as a symbol of women’s progress in education, knowledge and public service … To see so many intelligent women, I feel very proud,” Megawati said in her acceptance speech.

“Women’s empowerment is not a threat to any values, culture or tradition. It is actually a condition for nations that believe in their future … A great nation is one that is able to harness all of its human potential. A strong nation is one that does not allow half of its social power to be left on the sidelines of history.”

Megawati is the longest-serving political leader in Indonesia. Indonesia’s first direct presidential elections took place during her presidency, consolidating the country’s transition to democracy after the downfall of its longtime dictator Suharto in 1998.