The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) had a vital interest in the welfare and development of Haiti and saw its rebuilding as a priority issue for all CARICOM Member States, the Most Hon. Percival J. Patterson said Wednesday.

“A strong Caribbean Community needs a strong Haiti,” the former Jamaica Prime Minister and current Special Representative of the Heads of Government of CARICOM to Haiti pointed out in an address to the International Donors Conference Towards a New Future for Haiti at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

The Conference was co-hosted by the United Nations and the United States in cooperation with the Government of Haiti and with support from Brazil, Canada, the European Union, France, and Spain.

Member States of the UN and international financial and development agencies pledged US$5.3B over the next 18 months towards the reconstruction of Haiti. The CARICOM Member State was devastated after a massive earthquake on 12 January 2010. Actual losses from the disaster that claimed more than 200 000 lives and left more than one million homeless, were pegged at US$7.9B or 120 per cent of Haiti’s GDP.

A Post Disaster Needs Assessment presented to the Conference by the Haitian Government estimated that US$11.5B was needed to rebuild the country. Fifty per cent of the estimated resources were earmarked for social programmes; 17 per cent for infrastructure and 15 per cent for the environment and disaster preparedness and management.

CARICOM, Mr. Patterson said, was committed to assisting Haiti in the reinforcement of a governance process where transparency, accountability, compassion, efficiency and vision predominated. He added that the capacity of CARICOM had been placed at the disposal of Haiti.

He said CARICOM believed that it could make a tremendous difference in Haiti through the skills the Community could bring to bear in human resource development and institutional capacity-building.

“The Community stands ready to make available its capacities in administrative reform; in education and training, including vocational education and certification; in engineering and construction for earthquake and hurricane resistance, in providing solutions for low and middle income populations; and in agriculture, tourism research and development,” Mr. Patterson told the Conference.

Mr. Patterson also said that CARICOM welcomed the establishment of the Multi-Donor Trust Fund (MDTF). All Donors, he said, most now commit to that Fund and its joint management.

“The arrangements for the Fund, and more generally for support to Haiti, must facilitate, encourage and recognise this collaborative approach. This Donors’ Meeting is a good place to begin to recognise that all donors and donations, big and small, in kind or in cash are important,” Mr. Patterson said.

Contact:  piu@caricom.org