Jan 23
A list of 178 signatories is appended to this letter
The international community, as a donor to Haiti over more than two decades, also bears responsibility for ill-conceived and poorly-conducted development, political interference, and unfulfilled promises in Haiti. On this occasion the reconstruction of the country should be carried out in a way that is effective and accountable to all Haitians and assigns to Haitians themselves the responsibility for identifying their immediate and long-term needs and for creating and strengthening the structures required..
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As published in the Trinidad Guardian, As published in the Jamaica Observer.
As published in Pambazuka News: Pan-African Voices for Freedom and Justice
I fully endorse these recommendations. This comment is also in reference to the Sachs proposal.
Those who will have oversight for the planning process should be mindful of the practice of allowing rather large allowances for ‘overheads and administration’ costs for foreign contractors, particularly. A much larger percentage of funding should be used for actual projects for Haitians.
While there will be a number of proposals for the development initiatives to be bottom-up, I do believe that a very strong focus has to be on a Community Capacity Building program. This, too, will be a longer term (7-10 years) effort which will seek to enhance, while appreciating, the skills of Haitians to rebuild and take ownership of their communities. It will also facilitate accountability and transparency and begin the task of building a foundation for a strong and vibrant civil society across the country. Not only will such a program strengthen communities and build networks locally and outside of Haiti, it will improve, also, skills in communications, planning and implementing programs, and in managing people, activities and funding. And, it will also ensure that citizens become more conscious of their role in safeguarding good governance principles as they become a vibrant counter-force to the resurgence of the ills of the past.
Also, there must be specific projects to enhance the skills of women in managing projects aimed specifically at income generation activities.
Incubator projects for capturing the energy of the youth population have to be a priority for all the reasons of which we are well aware. Arts and tech-voc programs aimed at achieving varying levels of competence to support the reconstruction plan should be started as soon as possible. I am certain that portable classrooms can be set up. Algonquin College in Ottawa, Sheridan College in Toronto and one in Quebec whose name I have forgotten and Georgia Tech, for example, will be able to develop skills upgrade, fast-track as well as the more intensive, long-term training programs.
These are some initial thoughts on some specific areas.
I spoke with a representative of the National Food Crop Farmers Association in Trinidad and Tobago who assured me that the NFFA is committed to helping Haitian farmers reestablish their farms and to the building of a strong farmers network.A statement to that effect and calling for the donation of seeds, tools, fertilisers etc, will be issued shortly. I am sure similar assistance will be offered by other regional farmers’ associations.
It will be a tough task but I am sure there will be many successes in the building of a strong foundation for a better 200 years ahead.
As you well know, it is in the implementation that we tend to fall short, so effective management of the expected funding will be critical to making these proposals by Sachs and others, more than hortatory.
All the best
Patricia
This letter is more of the same: More disrespectful feminism–women and girls must come first and men can fend for themselves; more lip service to Haitian sovereignty while trying to increase the grip of the foreign NGOs on the country, as if NGOs don’t intercept aid money just as effectively as corrupt politicians; and more mindless anti-Americanism–as if you think your outbursts will make the slightest difference as to how the Americans spend their money or use their military assets.
DMcL363@aol.com
While your concepts of Haitian rehabilitation are noble they fail to face its practical realities. Caricom countries have little to contribute to Haiti’s recovery. They lack finances and technical expertise. Their record of economic management is poor. All they bring to the table is rhetoric. Where is the engineering capacity, the sociological expertise.,etc. I guarantee that PJ Patterson cannot identify the Haitian geological fault line on a map. Finally the donors are not prepared to throw money recklessly at Haiti as in the past. They want value for their money and they alone will determine how this money is spent.
I thoroughly enjoyed these insights on the way forward for Haiti.This perspective keeps the Haitian at the forefront of the reconstruction.For the stability of the region it is important that HAITI enters a new era of sustained growth and development. As an agriculturist,I see food production as being critical to Haiti’s development ; it is a major tool for developing the rural areas where most Haitians reside.Lack of development in rural HAITI created an urban dilemma for Port au Prince., hence the huge concentration of people in the capital-some three million.
I have been preaching food production ;however, nobody listens.The earthquake seems to have awaken the need for food security not only in HAITI but the region.Haiti like the region is a food deficit country and the situation of over crowdedness in the capital city stemmed from the fact that food production had declined considerably in rural Haiti , hence the the influx into Port au Prince.This is the story throughout the Caribbean.In many CARICOM states tourism has been the magnet which has drawn thousands from the land.Agriculture and TOURISM can co -exist ; however, the policy framework must be put in place to make this a reality.This fact has seemed to escape policy makers in many parts of the region.
The Bahamas is a prime example as 90% of our food is imported,85% OF THE POPULATION are urban dwellers; AGRICULTURE’s contribution to GDP is less than 1% AND THE NATIONAL FOOD BILL has surpassed $0.5billion. All of this is taking place in an environment of an aging cadre of small farmers and small-scale farming with very few replacements on the horizon.
Caribbean governments need to wake up to the fact that rural development( in the context of the Bahamas Family Island DEVELOPMENT)is directly related to food production via agribusiness enhancement.Haiti was a catastrophe waiting to happen; the earthquake was the last straw.
The Bahamas and the rest of CARICOM should learn from the Haitian scenario ;we need a paradigm shift in our thinking ,particularly as it relates to food production nationally and regionally.
Godfrey ENEAS
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