Haiti - Politic : The ECOSOC discusses the difficulties of Haiti - HaitiLibre.com : Haiti news 7/7
Download the School calendar 2023-2024 (Official)





iciHaiti - Futsal qualifiers for the 2024 World Cup : Grenadiers pre-list

iciHaiti - Insecurity : Blocked outside the country for 1 month, two Ministers return to Haiti

iciHaiti - Special D1 Championship : Presentation of the 5th day

iciHaiti - Port-de-Paix : Reconstruction of the Roundabout at the corner of Street D. Estimé…

iciHaiti - Economy : Message from the Embassy of Haiti in France


more news


Haiti - News : Zapping...

Haiti - PNH : Message from Frantz Elbé to the population and the police (Video)

Haiti - Politic : After 17 days, the Presidential Council publishes its first press release...

Haiti - FLASH : The USA will provide weapons and ammunition to the PNH

Haiti - News : Zapping...


more news


Haiti - Politic : The ECOSOC discusses the difficulties of Haiti
23/07/2015 10:15:14

Haiti - Politic : The ECOSOC discusses the difficulties of Haiti
Wednesday, the coordination meeting and organization of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), held over three days this week at UN Headquarters in New York, continued with the participation via videoconference from UN representatives in Haiti, who testified to the difficulties of this country to consolidate peace and to recover economically.

Through a resolution, introduced by Canada’s representative on behalf of the Advisory Group, the Council encouraged United Nations actors to consider how to better coordinate work to strengthen Haiti’s national institutions and implement strategies that supported its sustainable development. It called on Haitian authorities and international partners to take “a more coordinated and transparent step” and strengthen implementation of the External Aid Coordination Framework for the Development of Haiti.

Briefing the Council before the adoption, Mourad Wahba, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Haiti, said preparations were under way for the first round of elections for the Parliament and Senate — the largest electoral event in Haiti’s history. In addition, there had been “considerable” progress in achieving the Millennium Development Goals and success since May in lowering cholera infections. Speaking after action, delegates welcomed the resolution as a step towards improving coordination among Haiti’s many actors: the United Nations, development banks and donors among them.

Introducing the draft resolution on the “Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Haiti” (document E/2015/L.18/Rev.1) and a related report (document E/2015/84) was GILES NORMAN (Canada), speaking on behalf of the Chair of the Group. He said that the resolution would extend the mandate of the Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Haiti until the conclusion of the 2016 session, with the purpose of following closely and providing advice on the long-term development strategy of Haiti to promote socioeconomic recovery, reconstruction and stability, with particular attention to the need to ensure coherence and sustainability in international support for Haiti.

The report of the Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Haiti highlighted the main findings on political, social and economic progress made following visits to Washington, D.C., in April 2014 and to Haiti in May 2014. The report drew attention to challenges that required continued efforts by both Haiti and its partners in order to ensure the sustainability of the development process. The requirement for coordination, cooperation and sustained commitment had been a special concern of the Group, he said, especially in light of the transitions now taking place in Haiti in the political, social and economic spheres and in the structure, composition and profile of international presence in the country. Of particular importance in that regard was the consolidation and reconfiguration of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) and the assumption by the United Nations country team of new and additional responsibilities.

The Group drew attention to the need for development partners to remain engaged with the Government in order to achieve sustainable progress. The international community had welcomed and must support the electoral processes that would begin on 9 August. The series of elections would lead to the restoration of a functional legislative branch, new local and municipal governance bodies and ultimately to the inauguration of a new president; the success of those electoral processes was fundamental to Haiti’s future. The country’s vulnerability to natural disasters and sensitivity to global economic trends must also be taken into account. Building capacity was a long process and, in the case of Haiti, special attention must be given to such sectors as agriculture, energy, manufacturing and tourism. Improving the functioning of rule of law institutions was fundamental to long-term political and institutional stability. Haiti was confronting a decline in donor assistance and with it a concurrent need to manage a transition away from a reliance on humanitarian relief. He invited all relevant United Nations system actors, including the peacebuilding architecture, to better contribute to the strengthening of national institutions and the implementation of strategies and programmes to support reconstruction and sustainable development.

Mourad Wahba, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Haiti, then briefed the Council via videoconference. On the political front, preparations were ongoing for the first round of elections for the Parliament and the Senate. That was the largest electoral event slated to take place in the history of Haiti, he said. The great number of candidates reflected the trust of all actors in the political process that was unfolding. The Government had undertaken a major effort in funding a large part of the elections. The provisional electoral council had finalized its electoral list and its distribution was expected by the end of July ahead of the August elections. The elections law had improved and provided for a 30 per cent quota for women as well as space for civil society voices to be heard. On the humanitarian and development fronts, there had been considerable progress on the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals as many of the targets had been achieved, especially the reduction of extreme poverty to around 24 per cent of the population. School enrolment had increased to 88 per cent of children and many more households now had access to safe drinking water. However, unemployment — in particular among youth — remained quite high. There were concerns about the preservation of biodiversity and deforestation at a time when the country was currently undergoing a drought.

There had been progress with regards to cholera, with the infection rate declining since May 2015. The United Nations was supporting a vaccination campaign due to start this summer alongside rapid response to new infections and isolation, strengthening water sanitation, hygiene and access to potable water. There had been a decrease of 96 per cent of those displaced by the 2010 earthquake, however some still remained in camps and there were concerns about their living conditions. The number of persons who had been repatriated from the Dominican Republic had also added to those concerns, in particular in the context of the ongoing drought in the south-east of the country. The United Nations had made requests to the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) for help in further reducing the rates of cholera and the UN was working on a flash appeal to help those affected by repatriation from the Dominican Republic. Finally, an application had been submitted to CERF to assist those affected by the drought. The United Nations was working on a transition from peacekeeping to a process led by the United Nations country team.

In the ensuing general discussion, the representative of Guatemala said that this was a time of relative stability for Haiti. He welcomed preparations for the electoral process in the country and acknowledged the Government’s efforts to ensure that the elections would be held fairly and on time. While the economic prospects were positive, those prospects had not yet translated to an improvement in the living conditions of Haitians. The forthcoming United Nations Summit on the post-2015 development agenda would provide a chance to help to strengthen institutions in Haiti, he said, stressing the need for donors to remain committed to the country’s sustainable development. It was vital to improve coordination among partners, including development banks, donors and other stakeholders. The Security Council would soon consider renewing the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti’s (MINUSTAH) mandate, he said, stressing that any reduction in the number of the Mission’s troops prior to elections could pose a major risk to the country’s security and stability.

The representative of Brazil welcomed the resolution and was pleased to see the inclusion of South-South cooperation in its text. He stressed the importance of continued support and engagement with Haiti, which should continue to be in line with the country’s national priorities. Although significant progress had been made, Haiti still needed support to overcome remaining obstacles. The upcoming elections, the fight against extreme poverty and the strengthening of social stability were all challenges that still needed to be addressed.

Chile’s delegate said that the resolution before the Council contained important elements, including South-South and triangular cooperation. The text also welcomed the joint coordination and planning of all United Nations system organizations in Haiti, and those actions must be in line with the national priorities, he said, pointing out that his delegation had provided cooperation in areas such as disaster prevention, the environment and human capital. He underscored a programme launched in 2007 to support well-being in early infancy, as well as cooperation on schools in Port-au-Prince. The Chilean Government was also providing police training in Haiti. International support remained vital for Haiti, including by lending support to the electoral processes, he concluded, expressing hoped that the resolution would be adopted by consensus.

See also :
https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-12576-haiti-economy-ecosoc-welcomes-the-tangible-progress-made-on-the-ground.html
https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-11180-haiti-politic-ecosoc-is-encouraged-by-progress-made-in-the-country.html

HL/ HaitiLibre

Twitter Facebook Rss
Send news to... Daily news...




Why HaitiLibre ? | Contact us | Français
Copyright © 2010 - 2024
Haitilibre.com