Haiti IDB Group Country Strategy 2017-2021
Summary — The Inter-American Development Bank Group's country strategy for Haiti from 2017-2021, focusing on three priority areas: improving business climate, enhancing access to key public services, and strengthening government capacity for fiscal sustainability.
Key Findings
- Haiti made progress in key social indicators with extreme poverty falling from 31% in 2001 to 24% in 2012 and primary enrollment increasing from 50-60% to 90%.
- Economic growth averaged 2.0% annually between 2006-2016, but per capita income in 2016 was 30% lower than in 1980.
- Haiti faces three main challenges: insufficient economic growth, limited access to basic public services, and weak institutional capacity.
- The IDB Group approved 36 operations totaling US$1.1 billion between 2010-2016, making it one of Haiti's main donors.
- National poverty rate remains high at 59% with extreme poverty at 24% and high inequality with Gini coefficient of 0.61.
Full Description
This document presents the Inter-American Development Bank Group's comprehensive country strategy for Haiti covering the period 2017-2021. The strategy aims to contribute to higher, inclusive and more sustainable growth that supports poverty reduction and inequality reduction in Haiti. The document identifies three main challenges facing Haiti: insufficient economic growth over extended periods, limited access to basic public services, and weak institutional capacity that hampers good governance.
The IDB Group has been one of the main donors in Haiti, having approved 36 operations between 2010-2016 totaling US$1.1 billion in grants. The strategy builds on this foundation to address Haiti's development challenges through three strategic priorities: improving the business climate to enhance productivity, rendering key public services more accessible to enhance human development, and strengthening government capacity to increase fiscal sustainability.
The financial framework includes up to US$990.7 million through the IDB Grant Facility, with the IDB's contribution potentially reaching 50% of total grants received by the government during 2017-2021. The strategy emphasizes sustainability of program results, portfolio consolidation, strengthening of country systems, and active participation in donor coordination activities.
Key risks identified include macroeconomic instability related to international and domestic factors including natural disasters, problems in project execution, and political instability. The document notes recent improvements in Haiti's social indicators, including reduced extreme poverty from 31% to 24% between 2001-2012, and increased primary school enrollment from 50-60% to 90% between early 2000s and 2015.