WASHINGTON, January 21, 2010: The World Bank fully supports debt relief for Haiti. In June 2009, the World Bank, along with the IMF and other donors, granted Haiti 1,2 billion US dollar in debt relief through the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries initiative and the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative. Since 2005, the World Bank’s financial support for Haiti (363 million US dollar) has been carried out through grants. This does not include the 100 million US dollar in grants announced on January 13, 2010, in response to the earthquake.
Currently, Haiti’s debt to the World Bank, which is interest-free, is about 38 million US dollar—about 4% of Haiti’s total external debt. Due to the crisis caused by the earthquake, we are waiving any payments on this debt for the next five years and at the same time we are working to find a way forward to cancel the remaining debt.
About the World Bank Program in Haiti
The World Bank is a close partner of Haiti. There are 15 active World Bank projects in Haiti focusing on areas including disaster risk management, infrastructure, community-driven development, education, and economic governance. All current World Bank assistance to Haiti is in grant form.
Since January 2005, the International Development Association has provided a total of 308 million US dollar for Haiti. In addition, trust funds administered by the World Bank have given more than 55 million US dollar since 2003. These amounts do not include the 100 million US dollar in grants announced on January 13, 2010.
