Following a series of meetings between Haiti's Minister of the Interior, Thierry Mayard-Paul and Jean Dussourd, Prefet Referent on Haiti to the French Ministry of the Interior, Mr. Dussourd will be organizing visits to France by Haitian delegations as a way to increase collaboration and information exchange.

"The proposal to bring Haitian delegates to France for learning and best practice sharing accelerates our strategic goals for evaluating what is working in other countries," said Minister Mayard-Paul. "In this way, we can develop Haitian-branded programs based on the lessons from our counterparts as we work towards decentralization and job creation."

Decentralization, a top priority for the Martelly administration, recently received a substantial boost based on customizing program models from other developing regions, including Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe. "We developed a proprietary Haitian model for community-based decentralization, Katye Pam Poze, after evaluating successful experiences in numerous countries where development has proven elusive," said the minister.

Both Minister Mayard-Paul and Prefet Dussourd are working to strengthen collaborative ties between Haiti and France through continued missions. As expressed by Mr. Mayard-Paul and Mr. Dussourd, both countries can learn from each other.

"This is an opportunity to further strengthen municipalities," said Mr. Dussourd. "Working together, we can glean valuable insights from shared, participatory experiences, delegate to delegate, that will benefit the Haitian people and communities throughout the country."

SL/ HaitiLibre