On Wednesday at the National Palace, President Jovenel Moïse, accompanied by Prime Minister, Dr. Jack Guy Lafontant, proceeded to the installation of the Working Group and Reflection on the Reconstruction of the historic building of the National Palace.

This group, with a 90-day mandate, will be composed of: Clément Bélizaire (Coordinator), Georges Michel, Daniel Elie, Patrick Durandis, Patrick Delatour, Sabine Malebranche and Yvan Pinchinat Public and the Building Unit of Public Housing and Buildings (UCLBP). Its mission is to :

1) Retrieve and analyze the architectural plan of the engineer Georges Baussan;

2) To prepare the Road Map for the reconstruction of the National Palace;

3) To organize the orientation debate and the competition to define the architectural part for the construction of the Palace;

4) Define the plan, the program and elaborate the terms of reference for the study of the reconstruction of the Palace;

5) To inform citizens, the media, public bodies and civil society of all activities undertaken in the context of the reconstruction of the National Palace.

In the presence of the President and Vice-President of the National Assembly, respectively Senator Youri Latortue and Deputy Cholzer Chancy, the President of the Superior Council of the Judiciary, Me ules Cantave, former Heads of State and Haitian officials, various State entities working in the construction sector, the Head of State declared :

"[...] Prior to the formation of this Working Group, my cabinet organized several working meetings with Haitian experts to agree on the methodology of the process of reconstruction of the Palace. The population expects the launch of reconstruction activities of this historic building for a long time. I hope that this work will begin this year. The Nation must have an architectural work that responds to the concerns of the 21st century while preserving the neoclassical style of the Palace it will replace. Haiti, in its splendor and the Republic that receives its guests, must have a grand, imposing and grandiose palace.

[...]

Three essential conditions must be taken into account in the conduct of the reconstruction of the Palace :

Firstly, they must enable the citizens, academics, experts, architects and engineers of the country and the Diaspora to nourish the reflections in order to have a National Palace that meets the architectural and aesthetic concerns of the State while respecting the modern standards of construction of public buildings of cultural and historical value. The new National Palace must make the link between history, culture and the future of the Nation. The realization of a work of this magnitude requires a dialogue and a plural communication with the citizens to hear their opinions and to develop their sense of appropriation of all the stages of the reconstruction.

Secondly, we must learn all the lessons of the January 12, 2010 earthquake and be vigilant to take into account all construction safety standards.

Third, the architecture of the Palace has made many generations dream. I consider it necessary to reconstruct the exterior facades of the Palace in the same way. Inside, however, new accommodation is needed to meet the needs of the organs and services of the Presidency of the Republic, while respecting the modern standards of construction of a public building [...]"

President Moïse believes that the reconstruction of the Port-au-Prince city center requires skilled skills in different fields of knowledge, promising that the local and diaspora skills will be mobilized affirming "During my five-year term, the Haitian State will rebuild the National Palace, the Legislative Palace and the Palace of Justice. The new National Palace must make the link between history, culture and the future of the Haitian Nation."

HL/ SL/ HaitiLibre