The international community met in Montreal, Canada, on Monday to draw up an immediate to-do list for the massive, long-term reconstruction of Haiti.
A central promise, expressed several times at the meeting, was that the Haitian government would be in the driver’s seat of the reconstruction efforts, albeit with comprehensive international assistance.
Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon, official host of the Ministerial Preparatory Conference on Haiti, affirmed at a press conference that what he and the other foreign ministers present considered essential was “the importance we accord to Haiti’s sovereignty and independent voice as we marshal our efforts.”
“Your role is key, your voice is clear, we stand ready to help,” Cannon told Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive, who was in Montreal.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton echoed Canada’s message. “It’s important that we see ourselves as partners with Haiti, not patrons.”
Donor countries also promised to help Haiti over the long haul, pledging assistance for the next 10 years.
A final important principle that meeting participants agreed to follow throughout Haiti’s reconstruction, was to ensure accountability in how and where pledged monies are spent, thus correcting mistakes made during the 2004 tsunami relief efforts.
In these efforts, Canada is hoping to play a central role. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his Haitian counterpart met privately the day prior to the Montreal gathering, the second time the two men had met recently. On Dec. 15 Bellerive was in Canada to discuss Haiti’s economic development.
“Last time we met, enormous challenges were in front of you and this time unfortunately those challenges are so much larger. We are all looking at the terrible situation in your country and the task ahead of you is unimaginable,” said Harper in press statement.
Bellerive said he was pleased with the forward-looking tenor of the talks in Canada. “I am proud and with a great deal of hope, because the talk was mainly of the future, of support, of other economic points and of helping life return to normal in Haiti, some two weeks after the earthquake.”
At the same time, Bellerive felt forced to focus on his country’s immediate needs saying that 200,000 tents were urgently required.
The quickly convened meeting, held ahead of one scheduled for New York in March, was also attended by various international organizations and nongovernmental agencies, including the United Nations, World Bank, Organization of American States, and the Inter-American Development Bank.
International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced that Haiti would be relieved of making payments on its existing debt and that that the emergency loan being given this week would be interest-free, with no repayments scheduled due for the next five years. The new loan would also be free of any conditions, said Caroline Atkinson, director of the IMF’s External Relations Department.
“We must take care to ensure that aid does not crowd out efforts to restart the private sector,” Atkinson said.
In the medium term, Atkinson said that the IMF would reassess Haiti’s debt situation in light of the catastrophe, the damage to the economy, and the sizable financing needs.
“At that stage, the international community needs to be ready to provide comprehensive debt relief,” Atkinson said.
She also cautioned that help to Haiti shouldn’t divert aid from other poor countries.
While search and rescue efforts have officially been called off, the final death toll in Haiti is still far from certain.
Haitian Communications Minister Marie-Lawrence Jocelyn Lassegue told AFP that it is now expected that the number of recovered bodies would reach over 150,000, and it was feared that another 200,000 could be dead in the wreckage.
A central promise, expressed several times at the meeting, was that the Haitian government would be in the driver’s seat of the reconstruction efforts, albeit with comprehensive international assistance.
Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon, official host of the Ministerial Preparatory Conference on Haiti, affirmed at a press conference that what he and the other foreign ministers present considered essential was “the importance we accord to Haiti’s sovereignty and independent voice as we marshal our efforts.”
“Your role is key, your voice is clear, we stand ready to help,” Cannon told Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive, who was in Montreal.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton echoed Canada’s message. “It’s important that we see ourselves as partners with Haiti, not patrons.”
Donor countries also promised to help Haiti over the long haul, pledging assistance for the next 10 years.
A final important principle that meeting participants agreed to follow throughout Haiti’s reconstruction, was to ensure accountability in how and where pledged monies are spent, thus correcting mistakes made during the 2004 tsunami relief efforts.
In these efforts, Canada is hoping to play a central role. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his Haitian counterpart met privately the day prior to the Montreal gathering, the second time the two men had met recently. On Dec. 15 Bellerive was in Canada to discuss Haiti’s economic development.
“Last time we met, enormous challenges were in front of you and this time unfortunately those challenges are so much larger. We are all looking at the terrible situation in your country and the task ahead of you is unimaginable,” said Harper in press statement.
Bellerive said he was pleased with the forward-looking tenor of the talks in Canada. “I am proud and with a great deal of hope, because the talk was mainly of the future, of support, of other economic points and of helping life return to normal in Haiti, some two weeks after the earthquake.”
At the same time, Bellerive felt forced to focus on his country’s immediate needs saying that 200,000 tents were urgently required.
IMF Offers Interest Relief
The quickly convened meeting, held ahead of one scheduled for New York in March, was also attended by various international organizations and nongovernmental agencies, including the United Nations, World Bank, Organization of American States, and the Inter-American Development Bank.
International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced that Haiti would be relieved of making payments on its existing debt and that that the emergency loan being given this week would be interest-free, with no repayments scheduled due for the next five years. The new loan would also be free of any conditions, said Caroline Atkinson, director of the IMF’s External Relations Department.
“We must take care to ensure that aid does not crowd out efforts to restart the private sector,” Atkinson said.
In the medium term, Atkinson said that the IMF would reassess Haiti’s debt situation in light of the catastrophe, the damage to the economy, and the sizable financing needs.
“At that stage, the international community needs to be ready to provide comprehensive debt relief,” Atkinson said.
She also cautioned that help to Haiti shouldn’t divert aid from other poor countries.
While search and rescue efforts have officially been called off, the final death toll in Haiti is still far from certain.
Haitian Communications Minister Marie-Lawrence Jocelyn Lassegue told AFP that it is now expected that the number of recovered bodies would reach over 150,000, and it was feared that another 200,000 could be dead in the wreckage.
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