The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) confirmed Friday that all its 14 staff working in Haiti have survived Tuesday's major earthquake.

The UN body had earlier said eight staff members were unaccounted for. Now it turns out that those people are safe and sound.

UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova called on the world community to offer urgent assistance to Haiti, saying it is time to show solidarity,

A large number of teachers and students have been injured or killed and school buildings seriously damaged in the quake, inflicting a great setback on the impoverished country, she said.

Bokova said UNESCO would mobilize all possible efforts to help Haiti reconstruct school infrastructure and restore education, noting that education is a priority in the country's reconstruction and development.

She also called on Haiti's neighboring countries and foreign universities to admit Haitian students.

Bokova said she would send special envoy Bernard Hadjadj to Haiti to evaluate quake losses and to see what could be done to facilitate relief work.

The UN body is also planning to offer psychological consultation services to Haitian teachers and students, and provide emergency assistance for local educational institutions.

The death toll from the 7.3-magnitude quake may reach 45,000, according to UN preliminary estimates.

(Xinhua News Agency January 16, 2009)