UNITED NATIONS – The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has made an urgent appeal for funds to start projects it said would offer jobs to 400 000 people in Haiti, which is recovering from a series of deadly storms.

Since the start of the hurricane season on June 1, the impoverished French-speaking Caribbean country has been hit by four tropical storms – Fay, Gustav, Hanna and Ike – which have killed more than 400 people, triggered devastating floods, wiped out food crops and damaged irrigation systems.

"Employment is critical to kick-starting Haiti's recovery after the tropical storms," Joel Boutroue, the head of the UNDP office in Haiti, said in a statement Monday. (AP)