UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday pledged the world body's support for Haiti in the aftermath of the massive earthquake.

"The United Nations stands in solidarity with the people of Haiti at this difficult time. The earthquake has destroyed or damaged thousands of homes, as well as hospitals and schools, churches, bridges and roads, said Guterres in a statement.

"I have a message to the people of Haiti: you are not alone. We will stand by your side and support you every step of the way out of this crisis," he said.

The UN team on the ground is working with the government to help ensure humanitarian aid and personnel can reach people in need. UN agencies and partners are mobilizing resources and personnel in support of the government response. Staff from the UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination teams are on their way to support coordination and assessments, said the UN chief.

The United Nations has allocated 8 million U.S. dollars from the Central Emergency Response Fund to provide essential health care, clean water, emergency shelter and sanitation for all affected people, he added.

Relief convoys reached affected communities in Les Cayes, Jeremie and Nippes on Tuesday, he said. "We will continue to scale up our response to the hardest-hit areas even as Tropical Storm Grace approaches Haiti with its threat of heavy rainfall and flash floods."

As assessments reveal the level of suffering, the scale of humanitarian need in Haiti continues to grow. He called on all member states to mobilize efforts to support Haiti in averting a humanitarian disaster. Enditem

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