Haiti is marking the first anniversary of the devastating earthquake that killed 230,000 people and left 1.5m others homeless.
A minute's silence was held at the exact time the temblor struck at 4:53pm on 12 January last year.
Hundreds of people, hands held to their hearts, bent their heads in front of the presidential palace which still lies in ruins as they paid tribute to the people killed in the 7.0 magnitude quake.
Cars stopped on the streets of the capital, Port-au-Prince, which are still strewn with rubble as they also honored the minute's silence.
At the presidential palace, the flag, which was lowered last year to mark the tragedy, was once again raised to full staff.
Many homeless people are still living in makeshift camps around the capital, Port-au-Prince, and it is estimated that just 5% of the rubble has been removed.
Aid agencies in the country say political unrest following last month's presidential elections has further hampered reconstruction.
Concern's Director of Operations Dominic MacSorley said the country needs both strong leadership and international investment to recover.
Former US President and UN envoy to Haiti Bill Clinton has said that he is frustrated at the slow progress of reconstruction.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has warned that the world must not abandon Haiti and called on the international community to continue its support.
Mr Ban said: 'The UN and international response was one of the largest of its kind ever mounted and continues to this day to help survivors of this tragedy. These efforts must be redoubled and renewed.'
Aid agencies have faced numerous setbacks in the months since the earthquake, with endemic poverty and an outbreak of cholera just two factors holding back recovery.
Squalid conditions and unclean water led to an outbreak of cholera and the country has yet to see an end to the disease.
Andy Powell of Save the Children said: 'We are seeing a lot of cases. It is particularly the young and old being seen in our cholera treatment units.'
But Mr Powell suggested that the worst of the outbreak may be over.
He said: 'We are not quite at the point where we can say we are in control. We are moving from a response to preventative measures and outreach programmes.
'But there is reason for some cautious optimism. We hope to have stabilised the cases by the end of January. I'm cautiously optimistic about where we are going over the next few months.'
Watch the documentary: Haiti - Hell to Hope
