Haiti received more than 1 billion US dollar (6,1 mia. DKR) in pledges for the next two years at a donors conference that drew representatives from 30 countries and 32 international organizations.
With these funds, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere is ready to tackle urgent and medium-term development needs after nearly 15 years of political, social and economic instability.
– I am delighted with the result of this conference which demonstrates the level of solidarity of the international community with the people of Haiti, said Interim Haitian Prime Minister Gerard Latortue.
The two-day conference, which concluded Wednesday, was co-hosted by the European Union, Inter-American Development Bank, the United Nations and the World Bank. All participants emphasized the central importance of the governments ownership of Haitis reconstruction and development.
Recognizing the need to learn from past mistakes, however, donors agreed to better coordinate their activities, while the Haitian government agreed to ensure expeditious project implementation. In addition to actively monitoring processes and projects, the Haitian government acknowledged the importance of reaching out to the private sector and civil society.
The Interim Cooperation Framework (ICF) spells out the countrys immediate needs and medium-term goals, detailing the governments program over the next two years.
The framework was drafted by Haitis interim government with support from the European Commission, the Inter-American Development Bank, the United Nations and the World Bank.
Drawing on input from close to 250 national and international experts from 26 bilateral and multilateral donors, UN agencies, civil society and the private sector, the ICF was the basis for the high-level pledging session on July 20.
The report estimates the country needs 1,37 billion US dollar over the next two years to jumpstart key reforms and put the country on the path toward sustained growth.
At the time of the reports release last week, the government had already received 440 million dollar in external assistance and internal resources prior to the donors meeting.
The government intends to host a follow-up meeting in September in Port-au-Prince to ensure that assistance is consistent with the priorities identified in the framework.
Haitis Immediate Needs
The interim Governments priorities as outlined in the Interim Cooperation Framework revolve around four strategic areas:
– Strengthening political governance and promoting national dialogue
– Strengthening economic governance and institutional development
– Promoting economic recovery
– Improving access to basic services
In the next two months alone, the government plans to create more than 44.000 jobs, collect and dispose of 50 percent of garbage in urban areas, upgrade the conditions of 500 slums and double electricity services to 12 hours per day in the capital, Port au-Prince (only 10 per cent of all Haitians have access to electricity).
These programs will help restore stability and improve the quality of life in a country where a political crisis and violence kept children out of school, closed businesses and interrupted electricity and water services while piles of garbage accumulated in the streets.
Over the next two years, in the social sector alone, the ICF outlines programs to improve nutrition for more than one million poor children and their mothers, students, orphans, street children and destitute elderly, immunize 80 percent of children under age one against diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DPT3) in fifteen key districts, and rehabilitate 1.500 schools – nearly half of the population in the Caribian country is illiterate.
Kilde: www.worldbank.org
