PORT AU PRINCE -Haiti is asking the international community to provide more than US$1.9 billion as it seeks to finance the reconstruction and recovery of the southern part of the country that was heavily damaged by the August 14 earthquake last year.
The 7.2 magnitude earthquake rocked Haiti’s southern peninsula, toppling buildings and killing an estimated 2,200 and injuring 12,000 others while also causing millions of dollars in damages.
Haiti will put forward its case for assistance at the international donor conference on Wednesday organized by several organizations, including the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and the European Union (EU).
The three-hour conference to be held at the Karibe Convention Center in the capital will be attended by donor representatives, whether in person or by videoconference. It will allow the government to present its Integrated Recovery Plan for the Southern Peninsula (PRIPS) for nearly 200 billion gourdes (One Gourde=US$0.009 cent).
Last November, the government published its post-disaster needs assessment (PDNA), which assesses the reconstruction and recovery process at US1.978 billion, with the greatest needs being housing ($1.027 billion), education ($401 million), food security ($54.5 million) and health ($31.9 million).
On Monday, the Minister of Planning and External Cooperation, Ricard Pierre, the Minister of Communication, Emmelie Prophète, and Bruno Lemarquis, the Deputy BINUH Special Representative and the United Nations Resident Humanitarian Coordinator provided an update on the meeting on reconstruction and recovery in the South.
“The Government promises to make aid more transparent, taking into account the problems of the different sectors of the Great South, internal needs and recovery,” said Pierre. In contrast, Lemarquis noted that “it is up to Haiti to decide the best way forward with the support of the international community.”
and then 