Conference

Haiti Donors Conference

Date: 14 Apr 2009

Time: 9:00 AM

Location: Washington, DC, United States

Agenda  | Ordre du jour | Fiche d'information | Facts Sheet
Communiqué: English | Français

Summary of Pledges   | Agenda NGO Partnership Dialogue | Video Conference

Toward a New Cooperation Paradigm for Growth and Opportunity

The Inter-American Development Bank will host a Haiti Donors Conference on April 14, 2009 in Washington, D.C.  Haitian Prime Minister Michèle Duvivier Pierre-Louis and IDB President Luis Alberto Moreno will co-chair the meeting, which will bring together leaders from over 30 donor countries and multilateral organizations. The purpose of the Conference is to renew the international partnership with Haiti at a critical juncture and to seek additional support for Haiti's priority reconstruction program.

Following three consecutive years of economic growth and improved social and political stability, Haiti experienced four major tropical storms as well as spikes in food and fuel prices in 2008. These external shocks undermined the progress that Haiti had achieved and weakened the Haitian population’s already strained coping mechanisms. A renewed and concerted effort from the Haitian government and its international partners is required to regain lost progress and lay a foundation for growth as the global economy recovers. To this end, the Government of Haiti and the donor community agree to intensify efforts to safeguard progress achieved to date; rebuild key infrastructure damaged by the storms; and accelerate the implementation of a priority program within the National Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy.

The Haitian authorities have outlined a two-year economic recovery program based on four core objectives:

• Reducing vulnerability to natural disasters
• Revitalizing the economy
• Maintaining access to basic services
• Preserving a stable macroeconomic framework

Development partners will aim to align existing and future aid with the Haitian government’s two-year program, which is grounded in the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (2007) and the Post Disaster Needs Assessment (2008). The meeting will also aim to enhance coordination between major stakeholders in order to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of foreign assistance to Haiti. The April 14th conference was preceded by a technical meeting held in Ottawa in early March, hosted by the Canadian Ministry of International Cooperation with representation by Haitian authorities, the G-10* and Japan. At the meeting, the Haitian delegation shared with donors a concept paper outlining their government’s priorities and strategy for recovery along with a governance and budget support framework. The concept paper outlined a course of action for the two-year economic recovery program. Participation in the event is by invitation. 

*The G10 comprises: The IDB, IMF, WB, EU, UN, Canada, France, Spain, the United States, and the 'ABC Group' of Argentina, Brazil and Chile 

Contact information: HConference@iadb.org

Satellite feed for TV coverage will be available. This service is free and without restrictions.
Transmission will be on Tuesday, April 14 from 3:30 – 4:00 EST. The coordinates are as follows:
Satellite:  IS9 24 C Slot B (9 mhz)
Downlink Frequency:  4155.5 Horizontal
Symbol Rate:  5.632
FEC: 3/4