At the opening ceremony of the first meeting of the Committee on Coordination of External Aid for the Development of Haiti (CAED) which took place yesterday Friday, Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe rallied international donors with a call to action and greater commitment to the reconstruction of Haiti. Lamothe noted forcefully, "The time for action is now!"

Presided by the Prime Minister, the CAED is a government of Haiti initiative that aims to coordinate more effectively reconstruction funds and which replaces the Interim Commission for the Reconstruction of Haiti (IHRC). Comprised of 32 members (16 Haitians and 16 foreigners), this new Haitian-led mechanism seeks to improve and accelerate the disbursement of reconstruction funds. It also serves as a platform for high-level discussions involving all national and international development stakeholders.

Speaking to a large group that included former President Bill Clinton and representatives of major donor agencies, Lamothe noted that the time had come three years after the January 2010 earthquake for donors to facilitate disbursement procedures that will allow for reconstruction to speed up and move forward. Donor funds have focused mostly on emergency relief, and the time is now for nation building, Lamothe added. Clinton also praised President Martelly's leadership in working with the Prime Minister and organizing this gathering.

According to Lamothe, the government of Haiti has demonstrated its ability to responsibly manage the reconstruction pointing to a vast array of projects all over the country that are underway or which have already been completed.

Lamothe stated, "The Martelly administration inherited a country that was not only devastated by an earthquake, but also by the previous governments. Progress is continuous and momentum is on our side. If only, the disbursement procedures of the international community had been faster, we would have made more progress toward rebuilding our country."

The reconstruction efforts have been guided by the government's long term Strategic Plan for the Development of Haiti. Lamothe added, "Under this framework the government has navigated between our developmental legacies, our vulnerability to natural events, and, our recurrent need for the right type of foreign assistance. We are convinced that what we are doing today is setting the stage for the kind of country that we all want Haiti to be in 2030."

President Martelly, who tasked Prime Minister Lamothe with leading reconstruction projects, stated that he hopes that the CAED will help speed up disbursements and allow Haiti to achieve measurable, tangible and sustainable results.

See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-8530-haiti-reconstruction-michaelle-jean-participates-in-the-meeting-of-the-caed.html

HL/ HaitiLibre