Haiti - Reconstruction : The housing crisis in Haiti is not a consequence of the earthquake

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Haiti - Reconstruction : The housing crisis in Haiti is not a consequence of the earthquake
11/06/2011 15:53:48

As part of a working visit of four days which ends on Saturday, Ms. Raquel Rolnik, the UN Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing has put forward the importance to "adopt an approach of the reconstruction based on the right to an adequate housing, with a particular attention to the situation of vulnerable persons such as persons living in camps and disadvantaged neighborhoods" and whose the situation "requires a durable solution", she also proposed practical tools, methods, as well as examples of similar contexts and situations, which can be used in the implementation of solutions to the problems of adequate housing in Haiti. During her stay Ms. Raquel Rolnik met with the Prime Minister-designate Daniel Gérard Rouzier, officials from the UN team, local authorities, organizations of civil society and diplomats accredited in Haiti.

For Ms. Raquel Rolnik, the housing crisis in Haiti is not a consequence of the earthquake of January 2010. "...the creation of the camps, has made visible a problem that already existed." According to her, the housing issue in Haiti is structural. "People have built their own community without the financial and technical resources to properly do so. They have not a physical space with services where they can settle, get decent housing and access to education and health, among others..."

According to Ms. Raquel Rolnik "we can not address the issue of camps or of the displaced persons without mentioning the problems of neighborhoods, which lack the minimum infrastructure." It is important to identify the neighborhoods that can be developed and those who must disappear, because they involve high risks in terms of floods and other natural disasters. The important thing is that "all people, whether poor or not, have a place to live in the city."

During her visit to Haiti, the UN Special Rapporteur visited some neighborhoods like Fort Mercredi and Cité Neuf, south of the capital, in various camps of temporary accommodation such as Champ-de-Mars, Corail, Canaan and Jérusalem.

If the approach in terms of "adequate housing"is not always followed, some efforts were nevertheless made to rehouse the population affected by the earthquake. For example, on 31 May 2011, the Cluster "Shelter" of the coordination of humanitarian assistance had already repaired 4.889 homes on a total of 10.628 identified. Similarly, 5.273 permanent houses were built and the projections predict a total of 13.728. In addition, approximately 73.410 temporary shelters have been built on the 113.365 expected.

Housing projects are also conducted by the World Bank for an amount of $30 million, and a "Project of Reconstruction of disadvantaged neighborhoods of the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince", for $65 million dollars. These projects involve the reparation and the reconstruction of homes safer and will allow to improve the access to infrastructure and basic social services. At the government level, two housing projects are planned in the capital. Land to house other construction programs are also being identified in Port-au-Prince and in provincial towns.

HL/ HaitiLibre / Minustah