(2010-05) CRS - Séisme en Haïti : Crise et réponse

Haiti Earthquake: Crisis and Response (name redacted) Specialist in International Humanitarian Policy (name redacted) Specialist in Latin American Affairs May 6, 2010 Congressional Research Service 7-.... www.crs.gov R41023 CRS Report for Congress Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress Haiti Earthquake: Crisis and Response Summary The largest earthquake ever recorded in Haiti devastated parts of the country, including the capital, on January 12, 2010. The quake, centered about 15 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince, had a magnitude of 7.0. A series of strong aftershocks have followed. Experts estimate the earthquake caused $8 to $14 billion in damage. Approximately 3 million people, roughly one- third of the overall population, have been affected by the earthquake with estimates ranging from 1.2 to 2 million people displaced. The government of Haiti is reporting an estimated 230,000 deaths and 300,600 injured. In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, President Rene Préval described conditions in his country as “unimaginable,” and appealed for international assistance. As the humanitarian relief operation continues, the government is struggling to restore the institutions needed for it to function, ensure political stability, and address long-term reconstruction and development planning. Prior to the earthquake, the international community was providing extensive development and humanitarian assistance to Haiti. With that assistance, the Haitian government had made significant progress in recent years in many areas of its development strategy. The destruction of Haiti’s nascent infrastructure and other extensive damage caused by the earthquake will set back Haiti’s development significantly. A post-disaster needs assessment estimated the total value of recovery and reconstruction needs to be $11.5 billion. The Haitian government presented an action plan for reconstruction and development at a global donors’ conference held on March 31, 2010. Donors pledged over $5 billion for the first 18 months of Haiti’s reconstruction. The United States pledged $1.2 billion. Extra-constitutional rule will begin after May 10, when most parliamentarians’ terms expire; President Préval will probably rule by decree after that. There is no timetable for new parliamentary elections. The sheer scale of the relief effort in Haiti has brought together tremendous capacity and willingness to help. As the rainy and hurricane seasons begin, the massive humanitarian relief operation underway in Haiti is focused on providing waterproof emergency shelter, improving sanitation and meeting the basic needs of the displaced and other vulnerable Haitians. The relief effort is expected to last for many months. On January 12, 2010, President Barack Obama assembled heads of U.S. agencies to begin working immediately on a coordinated response to the disaster, with the U.S. Agency for International Development through the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance as the lead agency. On January 14, the Administration announced $100 million in humanitarian assistance to Haiti to meet the immediate needs on the ground. As of April 30, 2010, total humanitarian funding provided to Haiti for the earthquake had reached over $1 billion. In the FY2010 supplemental request, the Administration is seeking a total of $2.8 billion for Haiti. Of that, $1.5 billion is for relief and disaster assistance, which would reimburse U.S. government agencies for services provided and for funds already obligated for ongoing relief activities. The request for recovery and reconstruction is $1.1 billion. This is primarily for new activities, focused on urgent infrastructure repairs, especially in the energy and agricultural sectors; critical health care; governance; and security. The Department of Homeland Security has temporarily halted the deportation of Haitians and granted Temporary Protected Status for 18 months to Haitian nationals in the United States as of January 12, 2010. Congressional concerns include budget priorities and oversight, burden- sharing, immigration, tax incentives for charitable donations, trade preferences for Haiti, and helping constituents with adoptions and other issues. Several congressional committees have held hearings on Haiti. The focus of this report is on the immediate crisis in Haiti as a result of the earthquake, the U.S. and international response to date, and long-term implications of the earthquake. Related legislation includes P.L. 111-117, P.L. 111-126, P.L. 111-158,H.R. 144, H.R. 264, H.R. 417. H.R. 1567, H.R. 3077, H.R. 4206, H.R. 4577, H.R. 4616, H.R. 4952, H.R. 4961, H.R. 5006, H.R. 5160, H.R. 5171, S. 2949, S. 2961, and S. 2978, S. 2998, S. 3202, S. 3275, and S. 3317. Congressional Research Service Haiti Earthquake: Crisis and Response Contents Recent Developments..................................................................................................................1 Current Conditions......................................................................................................................1 Preliminary Numbers at a Glance..........................................................................................3 Haitian Government Response....................................................................................................4 The Government’s New Action Plan......................................................................................6 Extra-Constitutional Rule Begins after May 10......................................................................7 U.N. Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH)......................................................................7 Humanitarian Relief Operation..................................................................................................11 Overall Status of the Relief Effort.......................................................................................11 United Nations Humanitarian Response..............................................................................12 Humanitarian Relief Sectors: Recent Developments............................................................13 Haiti’s Humanitarian Needs in Context................................................................................15 Other Humanitarian Actors..................................................................................................16 U.S. Humanitarian Assistance.............................................................................................17 U.S. Humanitarian Assistance to Haiti FY2009-FY2011, Prior to the Earthquake..........17 U.S. Humanitarian Assistance to Haiti following the Earthquake...................................17 FY2010 Supplemental Humanitarian Relief Funding for Haiti.......................................18 USAID.........................................................................................................................18 Department of Defense: Operation Unified Response....................................................19 Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)....................................................................20 Overall U.S. FY2010 Assistance.........................................................................................21 FY2010 Supplemental Funding Request for Haiti..........................................................21 International Humanitarian Funding..........................................................................................21 U.N. Consolidated Appeals Process.....................................................................................21 Other Pledges and Contributions.........................................................................................22 Donor Contributions and Pledges........................................................................................22 Private Contributions..........................................................................................................23 Recovery Planning among Donors and Haiti.......................................................................23 The Role of the United Nations and Other Organizations.....................................................24 Response of International Financial Institutions.........................................................................25 Multilateral Lending...........................................................................................................25 World Bank...................................................................................................................25 Inter-American Development Bank...............................................................................25 International Monetary Fund.........................................................................................26 Debt Relief Prior to the Earthquake.....................................................................................26 World Bank...................................................................................................................26 Bilateral Creditors.........................................................................................................26 Debt Relief Since the Earthquake........................................................................................27 Inter-American Development Bank...............................................................................27 World Bank...................................................................................................................27 International Fund for Agriculture and Development.....................................................27 International Monetary Fund.........................................................................................28 The IMF and Haiti’s Financial Sector..................................................................................28 Debt Relief in the FY2010 Supplemental Funding Request.................................................28 Regional Response....................................................................................................................29 Congressional Research Service Haiti Earthquake: Crisis and Response Political and Economic Situation in Haiti..................................................................................29 Conditions in Haiti Before the Earthquake...........................................................................29 Political Conditions.............................................................................................................30 The National Assembly and the Question of 2010 Elections..........................................31 Socioeconomic Conditions Prior to the Earthquake.......................................................31 Long-term Reconstruction Strategy...........................................................................................32 Review of Haiti’s Development Strategy.............................................................................32 Principles of Assistance for the Reconstruction of Haiti.......................................................33 Select Issues to be Addressed in the Long-term Reconstruction Strategy..............................34 Agricultural Capacity and the Environment...................................................................34 Decentralization of Population and Services..................................................................34 Education......................................................................................................................35 Energy..........................................................................................................................35 Health Care...................................................................................................................35 Job Creation..................................................................................................................36 Trade and Exports.........................................................................................................36 Recovery and Reconstruction Funding in the FY2010 Supplemental Request......................36 Congressional Concerns............................................................................................................36 FY2010 Supplemental Funding Request for Haiti................................................................37 Budget Priorities.................................................................................................................38 Burdensharing and Donor Fatigue.......................................................................................38 Coordinating the Relief Response in Haiti...........................................................................39 Elections in Haiti................................................................................................................39 Immigration, Adoption........................................................................................................40 Medical Evacuation............................................................................................................41 Tax Incentives for Charitable Donations..............................................................................43 Trade Preferences................................................................................................................43 Constituent Concerns..........................................................................................................44 Legislation in the 111th Congress...............................................................................................44 Figures Figure 1. Haiti Earthquake Epicenter.........................................................................................10 Figure A-1. An Estimate of the Population in Haiti and Surrounding Areas Exposed to Ground Shaking Caused by the January 12, 2010, Magnitude 7.0 Earthquake.........................51 Figure B-1. Movement Out of Port-au-Prince............................................................................53 Figure C-1. Click and type title, or delete .................................................................................54 Figure D-1. USG Humanitarian Assistance................................................................................55 Tables Table 1. U.S. Humanitarian Assistance to Haiti FY2009-FY2011..............................................17 Table 2. FY2010 Humanitarian Funding Provided to Haiti for the Earthquake ($US).................18 Table G-1. Regional Donors to Haiti Relief Efforts....................................................................64 Congressional Research Service Haiti Earthquake: Crisis and Response Appendixes Appendix A. Exposed Population..............................................................................................51 Appendix B. Haiti Population Movement..................................................................................53 Appendix C. Emergency Shelter Gap: April 19, 2010................................................................54 Appendix D. U.S. Earthquake Assistance to Haiti......................................................................55 Appendix E. The U.S. Government Emergency Response Mechanism for International Disasters................................................................................................................................56 Appendix F. Operation Unified Response: U.S. Military Units Participating..............................58 Appendix G. Donor Contributions and Pledges to Haiti in Response to the January 12, 2010, Earthquake...................................................................................................................59 Appendix H. How to Search for or Report on Individuals in Haiti.............................................67 Appendix I. How to Contribute to Relief Efforts........................................................................70 Appendix J. Links for Further Information................................................................................71 Contacts Author Contact Information......................................................................................................74 Key Policy Staff........................................................................................................................75 Congressional Research Service Haiti Earthquake: Crisis and Response Recent Developments • A major global donors’ conference was held March 31, 2010, in New York. Donors pledged over $5 billion for the first 18 months of Haiti’s reconstruction. The United States pledged $1.2 billion. • The Haitian government presented an action plan for reconstruction and development, and a Post Disaster Needs Assessment that estimated the total value of recovery and reconstruction needs to be $11.5 billion. • The Obama Administration requested $2.8 billion in FY2010 supplemental funding for relief and reconstruction support for Haiti. • Extra-constitutional rule will begin after May 10, when most parliamentarians’ terms expire; President Préval will probably rule by decree after that. Haiti passed a State of Emergency Law on April 20 giving the President broad powers. The international community is urging Haiti to hold legislative and presidential elections in November 2010. • Humanitarian assistance is focused on providing waterproof emergency shelter, improving sanitation and meeting the basic needs of the displaced and other vulnerable Haitians. The relief effort is expected to last for many months. • Most U.S. military forces will withdraw from Haiti by about June 1, 2010. Current Conditions The largest earthquake ever recorded in Haiti devastated parts of the country, including the capital, on January 12, 2010. The quake, centered about 15 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince, had a magnitude of 7.0. A series of strong aftershocks have followed.1 The damage was severe and catastrophic. Thousands of buildings collapsed, leaving unknown numbers of people trapped, and hundreds of thousands of people homeless in the streets. Estimates of casualties are constantly being updated. According to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, “[o]f Haiti’s 9 million people, initial reports suggest roughly a third may be affected by the disaster.”2 The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) issued a study on February 11 estimating the damage caused by the earthquake to be at least $8 billion, and as high as $14 billion.3 One of the report’s authors, economist Andrew Powell, said that, “This disaster, given the size of Haiti ... is the most devastating catastrophe that a country has experienced possibly ever.”4 The report compared the damage to other catastrophes, finding, for example, that the earthquake’s damage 1 U.S. Geological Survey http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/us2010rja6.php, January 13, 2010. The largest earthquake ever recorded was the 9.5 magnitude 1960 Chile earthquake, see http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/world/historical_mag.php. 2 United Nations, Secretary-General, Briefing General Assembly on Haiti Disaster, Announces Release of $10 million in emergency Funds to Kick-Start Response, SG/SM/12701; GA/10912, New York, NY, January 13, 2010. 3 Eduardo A. Cavallo, Andrew Powell, and Oscar Becerra, Estimating the direct economic damage of the Earthquake in Haiti, Inter-American Development Bank, February 11, 2010, available at http://idbdocs.iadb.org/wsdocs/ getdocument.aspx?docnum=35072649. 4 Mary Beth Sheridan, “Haiti earthquake damage estimated up to $14 billion,” Washington Post, February 17, 2010. Congressional Research Service 1 Haiti Earthquake: Crisis and Response amounted to 117% of Haiti’s annual economic output, while the 2004 tsunami damage amounted to 2% of Indonesia’s annual economic output. The Haiti Post Disaster Needs Assessment, conducted by Haiti and international institutions, reported similar findings, estimating the total value of recovery and reconstruction needs to be $11.5 billion.5 All of this damage was sustained in a country that the United Nations had already designated as one of the 50 “least developed countries” in the world, facing a higher risk than other countries of failing to come out of poverty, and therefore needing the highest degree of attention from the international community.6 Recovery efforts have been made extremely difficult by the loss of personnel and infrastructure that would be part of a recovery effort. Among the missing and dead were Haitian government officials and international aid personnel, including many U.N. personnel. Housing, hospitals, schools, and many government buildings collapsed. Basic services such as electricity and water were almost completely disrupted. Major transportation routes were damaged and/or blocked. The Port-au-Prince airport control tower was destroyed; the airport continued to function, and air traffic control authority was quickly transferred to U.S. personnel with portable radar. On February 18, commercial air traffic in and out of Port-au-Prince resumed. As of early March, relief flights into Haiti had dropped from a peak of 160 flights per day to an average of 75. The main port suffered heavy damage; U.S. troops are repairing the port facilities. The port is expected to handle 1,500 containers of relief supplies once it is fully repaired. The use of airfields and ports in the Dominican Republic, with humanitarian corridors over land, have also eased the burden on Haitian facilities. Haitian government officials continue to function in makeshift conditions. The roof of the Presidential Palace collapsed and the President’s private residence was also destroyed. President Préval was initially unable to communicate with his Cabinet and has been working out of a small room in a police headquarters. The Parliament building collapsed, with some Members trapped inside and others killed. The Parliament has convened in the National Police Academy. Twenty- eight of 29 Ministry buildings were destroyed. The United Nations, which already had a strong presence in Haiti, is at the forefront of on-the- ground response for security and humanitarian assistance, and suffered heavy losses as well. Its headquarters collapsed, and 101 U.N. personnel are confirmed dead and 6 others remain unaccounted for. The head of the U.N. Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), Special Representative Hedi Annabi, and his deputy, Luiz Carlos da Costa, were among the dead. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon sent Assistant Secretary General Edmond Mulet to Haiti on January 13 to direct the U.N.’s immediate response efforts; Mulet is a former Special Representative of the Secretary General for MINUSTAH. Prior to the earthquake, the international community was providing extensive development and humanitarian assistance to Haiti. With that assistance, the Haitian government had made 5 Government of Haiti, the United Nations, the European Union, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the World Bank, “Haiti Post Disaster Needs Assessment: draft executive summary,” March 10, 2010. Available at http://www.haitisantodomingo2010.org/hsd2010/content/documents; and World Bank, Haiti Damage and Need Assessment: World Bank Partners with Global Network of Scientists and Experts, Press Release No. 2010/240/LCR, Washington, DC, January 26, 2010. 6 United Nations Office for Least Developed Countries. Facts About Least Developed Countries (LDCs) available at http://www.unohrlls.org/UserFiles/File/Publications/Factsheet.pdf, accessed January 15, 2010. Congressional Research Service 2 Haiti Earthquake: Crisis and Response significant progress in recent years in many areas of its development strategy, including security; judicial reform; macroeconomic management; procurement processes and fiscal transparency; increased voter registration; and jobs creation. It had also made progress in providing broader access to clean water and other services. Parliamentary elections scheduled for February 2010 have been delayed. There is tentative agreement that Haiti will hold joint parliamentary and presidential elections in November 2010. President Préval’s term will end in February 2011, and he is not eligible to run for reelection. The destruction of Haiti’s nascent infrastructure and other extensive damage caused by January’s earthquake will set back Haiti’s development significantly. U.N. Special Envoy and former President Bill Clinton said that Haiti’s long-term development plans “will need to be amended ... but they cannot be abandoned.”7 Soon after the earthquake, the government of Haiti and the international donor community held meetings and conferences to begin planning a long-term strategy for Haitian recovery. A major global donors’ conference was held March 31, 2010, in New York at which 48 countries, multilateral institutions, and a coalition of non-governmental organizations pledged $5.3 billion for the first 18 months of Haiti’s reconstruction, part of nearly $10 billion pledged toward long- term reconstruction efforts. The IDB damage assessment stated that donor coordination will be key in any reconstruction effort. The report further noted that there are different models for coordination, but that however it is coordinated, “[a] single executing agency with appropriate powers, transparency and accountability to the Haitian Government and donors would be helpful” in achieving the needed coordination on the ground.8 To that end, Haiti and the international donor community have established a Multi-Donor Trust Fund to monitor, coordinate, and distribute funds. The Obama Administration is requesting $2.8 billion in FY2010 supplemental funding to cover costs associated with relief and reconstruction support for Haiti. The U.S. pledge of $1.2 billion made at the donors conference is included in that request. Preliminary Numbers at a Glance It is estimated that 3 million people, approximately one-third of the overall population, have been affected by the earthquake. The government of Haiti is reporting an estimated 230,000 deaths (2% of the population), 300,600 injured and 383 missing.9 Earlier reports indicated there were 1.2 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), which included 700,000 people displaced in the Port-au-Prince area, many without shelter, and more than 597,000 people who left Port-au-Prince for rural areas.10 More recent numbers indicate a higher number of IDPs with a possible total of over 2 million displaced in Haiti. This number includes 1.69 million displaced in settlements in Port-au-Prince and more than 300,000 in areas outside the city. Much smaller numbers of Haitians have left for the Dominican Republic, nearby islands, and the United States. 7 Bill Clinton, “How We Can Help Rebuild Haiti’s Promise,” The Washington Post, January 14, 2010. 8 Cavallo et al., op. cit., pp. 11-12. 9 Estimates of the death toll vary; most reports now indicate 200,000 or more dead. 10 Initially, the government of Haiti facilitated the departure of several hundred thousand people from Port-au-Prince to outlying areas. An unknown number of individuals may have used private means to leave the city and seek shelter. Congressional Research Service 3 Haiti Earthquake: Crisis and Response According to the State Department, a total of 16,000 Americans in Haiti have been accounted for, and 16,704 U.S. citizens have been evacuated. There are 103 reported deaths of U.S. citizens due to the earthquake. Now that commercial airlines are operating out of Port-au-Prince, the U.S. embassy is no longer assisting with citizen evacuations. Aftershocks Pose Future Risk A series of aftershocks has followed the main January 12 earthquake. In a February 23, 2010 statement, the USGS indicated that the frequency of aftershocks should diminish with time, but the threat of additional damaging earthquakes remains. The USGS noted that buildings in the Port-au-Prince area will continue to be at risk from strong earthquake shaking, and that the fault responsible for the January 12 earthquake still stores sufficient strain to be released as a large, damaging earthquake during the lifetime of structures built during the reconstruction effort. The USGS gave the following probabilities for aftershock activity in Haiti: • magnitude 5 or greater earthquake = 90% probability over 1 year, 80% over 90 days, 55% over 30 days; • magnitude 6 or greater earthquake = 25% probability over 1 year, 15% over 90 days, 7% over 30 days; • magnitude 7 or greater earthquake = 3% probability over 1 year, 2% over 90 days, 1% over 30 days. The USGS based its probability estimates on techniques developed to assess earthquake hazards in the United States. Using these techniques, the USGS estimated that the probability of a magnitude 7 or greater earthquake occurring within the next 50 years along the Enriquillo fault near Port-au-Prince is between 5% and 15%. The range of probabilities reflects the current understanding of the seismicity and tectonics of the Haiti region. By comparison, the USGS has estimated that that the probability of a magnitude 7 or greater earthquake occurring within the next 50 years along the Hayward-Rodgers Creek fault east of San Francisco is about 15%. The USGS further asserted that the risk to new construction in Haiti from future aftershocks and strong earthquakes can be minimized through the use of earthquake-resistant design and construction practices. Tailoring the design to match the earthquake hazard likely requires applying results from a comprehensive earthquake hazard assessment, which currently does not exist for Haiti. This is further complicated by the need for buildings to withstand high winds from hurricanes, which are a more frequent hazard to Haiti than earthquakes. Constructing buildings that are both hurricane and earthquake resistant could pose a challenge to short- and long-term rebuilding efforts in Haiti. Building construction is very important to earthquake resilience. For example, the magnitude 8.8 earthquake that struck Chile on February 27, 2010, caused only a fraction of the fatalities caused by the Haiti earthquake, in part due to the greater prevalence of earthquake-resistant buildings in Chile. Despite the occurrence of two devastating earthquakes in Haiti and Chile within less than two months of each other, worldwide earthquake activity in 2010 is not particularly unusual compared to other years. The USGS reported that an average of 16 magnitude 7 or greater—defined as major—earthquakes have occurred each year since 1900, with some years showing considerable variation. Six major earthquakes have occurred worldwide in 2010 thus far, well within the normal range according to the USGS. Sources: USGS statement, “USGS Updates Assessment of Earthquake Hazard and Safety in Haiti and the Caribbean,” February 23, 2010, at http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=2413&from=rss_home; and USGS release. “Is Recent Earthquake Activity Unusual? Scientists Say No,” April 14, 2010, at http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp? ID=2439. Haitian Government Response In the immediate wake of the earthquake, President Préval described conditions in his country as “unimaginable,” and appealed for international assistance. The country’s top priority was to conduct search and rescue operations for survivors. Other material priorities included an offshore vessel medical unit and electricity generation capability. The government also requested communications equipment so that government officials could better function and coordinate response efforts. As those immediate needs are met and the humanitarian relief operation continues, the government is struggling to restore the institutions needed for it to function and to address long-term reconstruction and development planning. “The first thing is political stability,” Congressional Research Service 4 Haiti Earthquake: Crisis and Response said Préval. “Secondly, we hope the international community will help us in the short-term, mid- term, and long-term.”11 Prior to this disaster, the World Bank and others were working with the Haitian government to incorporate disaster risk management into Haiti’s overall development strategy and to develop its capacity for disaster response. The capacity was still in its early stages, however, and the focus of much of its risk management efforts was not geared toward earthquakes, but toward hurricanes, which are the most common cause of natural disasters on the island. The last major earthquake in Haiti was 150 years ago, in 1860. Some Haitians complain that they have seen or heard little of President Préval since the earthquake. The perception that the Haitian government was not doing enough contributed to calls by some Haitians, both in Haiti and the United States, for the United States to take control of Haiti in place of the current government in the days following the disaster. The destruction of buildings, equipment, and loss of skilled personnel has drastically reduced the ability of the government to respond rapidly. According to the Haitian Chamber of Commerce, the earthquake destroyed approximately 25,000 public and commercial buildings. Twenty-one out of 22 Ministry buildings were destroyed. Along with the buildings, government records were destroyed; re-establishing and expanding transparency in government spending will be particularly challenging. These losses, plus the difficulty of delivering and transporting material supplies, will hinder delivery of services. The already significant need for services is now vastly expanded. Haitian ministries are addressing issues such as long-term housing for those left homeless by the earthquake as they operate out of makeshift offices. Haitian authorities and international relief agencies are delivering food and water to hundreds of makeshift camps in Port-au-Prince. The government provided free transportation to evacuate people from the capital to cities not damaged by the earthquake. Interior Minister Paul Antoine Bien-Aime indicated that as many as 482,000 people may be relocated outside Port-au-Prince.12 The Haitian government is sending officials to small cities to help officials in those communities establish priorities. Other elements of the government are working along with international actors. The Haitian National Police are contributing to maintaining security, for example, and Haitian air traffic controllers are working along with U.S. controllers at the Port-au-Prince airport. The Haitian government, the United Nations, and donor representatives met in Haiti on January 14 to coordinate their efforts, and have continued to do so at various conferences. Eighteen Haitian senators elected two commissions on January 28 to monitor aid and manage agreements with aid organizations. 11 Jacqueline Charles and Lydia Martin, “Without even a shirt, Rene Preval stays focused; President Rene Preval no longer has a palace or more than one borrowed shirt. But he survived the quake and is running his nation from a small room,” The Miami Herald, January 20, 2010. 12 Jacqueline Charles, Lesley Clark, and David Ovalle, et al., “Relief Efforts turn to long-term rebuilding,” The Miami Herald, January 21, 2010. Congressional Research Service 5 Haiti Earthquake: Crisis and Response The Government’s New Action Plan President Préval and Prime Minister Bellerive went to the March 31 international donors’conference with a 10-year recovery action plan. According to the Haiti Post Disaster Needs Assessment conducted by Haiti and international institutions, the total value of recovery and reconstruction needs is $11.5 billion.13 At the conference The Préval Administration sought a minimum of $3.9 billion for the first 18 months of Haiti’s reconstruction. The priorities the Haitian government established in the “Action Plan for the Reconstruction and National Development of Haiti”14 are: • ensuring preparedness for the 2010 rainy and hurricane seasons, especially for displaced populations; • providing assistance to the population affected by the earthquake while hastening recovery efforts with an eye to reducing dependence on foreign aid; • including environmental factors and risk and disaster management in all recovery and reconstruction activities; • actively providing employment and vocational training; • strengthening governmental authority while also decentralizing basic services, creating a social safety net for the poorest population; and • creating growth poles to support and encourage settlement of displaced populations around the country and to make Port-au-Prince less congested. Haitian government officials see the earthquake’s devastation in Port-au-Prince as an opportunity to establish a more sustainable distribution of population elsewhere in the country. Bellerive has asked international donors to aid in a massive revival of agriculture, in order to provide jobs and keep relocated Haitians in the provinces.15 Some observers have questioned whether historical and current allegations of various levels of corruption in the Haitian government may impair short- and long-term recovery efforts.16 The government of Haiti made major progress in recent years in reducing corruption, increasing transparency, and improving fiscal management. These improvements qualified Haiti for Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) debt relief last year. In its new Action Plan, the government said 13 Government of Haiti, the United Nations, the European Union, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the World Bank, “Haiti Post Disaster Needs Assessment: draft executive summary,” March 10, 2010. Available at http://www.haitisantodomingo2010.org/hsd2010/content/documents; and World Bank, Haiti Damage and Need Assessment: World Bank Partners with Global Network of Scientists and Experts, Press Release No. 2010/240/LCR, Washington, DC, January 26, 2010. 14 Republic of Haiti, “Action Plan for the Reconstruction and National Development of Haiti,” March 2010, available at http://www.haitisantodomingo2010.org/hsd2010/content/documents. 15 Tim Padgett, “Haiti PM: We Can Rise Out of Our Postquake Squalor,” Time, February 22, 2010. Haiti’s “Action Plan for the Reconstruction and National Development of Haiti” is available at http://www.haitisantodomingo2010.org/ hsd2010/content/documents. 16 University of Colorado at Boulder, “Industry Corruption, Shoddy Construction Likely Contributed to Haiti Quake Devastation,” E Science News, January 14, 2010; Senator Loren Legarda, “Commentary: Earthquake Devastation Linked to Corruption,” Philippine Daily Inquirer, January 25, 2010; “Will Endemic Corruption Suck Away Aid to Haitians?” Reuters, January 26, 2010. Congressional Research Service 6 Haiti Earthquake: Crisis and Response the momentum of those programs must continue, and proposed the Interim Commission for the Reconstruction of Haiti, a Development Agency, and the Multi-Donor Trust Fund to improve development planning, coordination, and accountability. New concerns about transparency and oversight may also arise as the legislature ceases to function as a whole because elections have not been held. Normally, the legislature must approve federal procurement contracts, and authorize spending. Under a State of Emergency law passed by the legislature in April, the executive branch will have those powers for the next 18 months. Extra-Constitutional Rule Begins after May 10 Haiti passed a State of Emergency Law on April 20 giving the President broad powers. The terms of all of the Chamber of Deputies, and of one-third of the Senate, will expire on May 10. How the government will function after that is not entirely clear. President Préval will probably rule by decree. The remaining 19 Senators may continue to meet, however, and the Senate has the power to dismiss the Prime Minister and censure government programs. As a result, political tensions are likely to increase. The international community is urging Haiti to hold legislative and presidential elections in November 2010. Préval has promised to step down when his term expires on February 7, 2011. U.N. Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH)17 The U.N. Security Council created the U.N. Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) on April 30, 2004, having determined that the situation in Haiti continued to be a threat to international peace and security in the region and acting under Chapter VII of the U.N. Charter. As a U.N.- conducted peacekeeping operation, MINUSTAH was given a mandate under three broad areas: a secure and stable environment, the political process, and human rights. On October 13, 2009, the Council extended its mandate until October 15, 2010, “with the intention of further renewal.” The Council monitors the activities of MINUSTAH through semiannual reports made by the U.N. Secretary-General and his special representative, and also not later than 45 days before expiration of its mandate. On January 19, 2010, the U.N. Security Council increased the overall force levels of MINUSTAH “to support the immediate recovery, reconstruction and stability efforts.” The Council decided that “MINUSTAH will consist of a military component of up to 8,940 troops of all ranks and of a police component of up to 3,711 police and that it will keep the new levels of troops and police in MINUSTAH under review as necessary.”18 The limits had been set at 6,940 for the military component and 2,211 for the police component. As of April 13, 2010, the military component of MINUSTAH totaled 8,306 troops, including four engineering companies, and 2,178 police officers.19 17 Prepared by (name redacted), CRS Specialist in International Relations, and (name redacted), CRS Specialist in International Humanitarian Policy, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division. 18 The Council resolution that created MINUSTAH is S/RES/1542 (2004). The resolution extending the mandate in October 2009 is S/RES/1892 (2009). The resolution adopted unanimously on January 19, 2010, is S/RES/1908 (2010). 19 These figures are taken from the Secretary-General’s April 2010 report to the Council; the police component consisted of 828 U.N. police and 1,350 formed police unit officers. Additional police from Bangladesh, Italy and India are expected in the coming weeks. See U.N. document S/2010/200, p. 9, para. 32. Congressional Research Service 7 Haiti Earthquake: Crisis and Response On April 28, 2010, the U.N. Security Council met to consider the situation in Haiti, especially the April 2010 report of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on MINUSTAH.20 This was his first report since September 1, 2009 and covered up to April 15, 2010, with a focus on events since the earthquake. Ban noted, in his report, that his Special Representative will continue to oversee the activities of the whole United Nations system and, within means and capabilities, ensure the full support of the MINUSTAH military, police and logistics components to humanitarian and recovery efforts. Ban proposed that MINUSTAH “assume the lead role in coordinating international electoral assistance in order to ensure its efficiency and avoid the duplication of efforts.” Ban observed that a “major focus of effort will be timely preparations for the 2010 presidential, legislative and municipal elections.” 21 In addition, he stated that MINUSTAH “will reconfigure the military component within the existing troop ceiling to provide additional military engineers on a surge basis.”22 Ban also recommended that the Council increase the MINUSTAH police component, adding 680 police personnel to the force levels already authorized by the Council in January 2010.23 As of May 3, 2010, the Council has not acted in response to the report of the Secretary- General. The headquarters of the U.N. Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) was demolished in the earthquake, with 101 U.N. staff confirmed dead. These included the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of MINUSTAH Hedi Annabi and his Deputy, Luiz Carlos da Costa. On March 31, 2010, Secretary-General Ban announced the appointment of Edmond Mulet, as his Special Representative (SRSG) for Haiti and Head of MINUSTAH. Since January 14, 2010, Mr. Mulet had been acting SRSG and Head of MINUSTAH.24 On April 29, 2010, Ban announced the appointment of Kevin Kennedy (United States) as Deputy Special Representative for Haiti and Deputy Head of MINUSTAH, succeeding Mr. da Costa, and Nigel Fisher (Canada) as Deputy Special Representative, Ad Interim, for Haiti, succeeding Kim Bolduc (Canada). On March 24, 2010, President Obama, in a supplemental budget request to Congress on Haiti, requested in the State Department’s Contributions to International Peacekeeping Activities (CIPA) account a total of $96.5 million for U.S. assessed contributions to MINUSTAH. This was to fund the increase in assessments resulting from the Security Council’s increase in force levels on January 19, 2010. The March 24 supplemental request also included, under Foreign Operations, in the International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement Affairs (INCLE) account, $45,000,000 to support U.S. personnel to MINUSTAH: the “secondment of 50 police advisers, 20 Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti, U.N. document [dated April 22, 2010] S/2010/200. 21 S/2010/200, p. 14, para. 55. The legislative elections that had been scheduled for February 2010 had been postponed. 22 S/2010/200, p. 14, para. 57. 23 S/2010/200, p. 15, paras. 60-62. Ban’s increase would “represent 200 United Nations police and three self-sustaining formed police units.” According to the U.N. peacekeeping website, “A Formed Police Unit is a cohesive and trained team of 140 armed and well-equipped (for crowd control) police officers.” See http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/ sites/police/policework.shtml. 24 Mr. Mulet was Assistant Secretary-General, Office of Operations, in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations. He had preceded Mr. Annabi as SRSG for Haiti. On January 22, 2010, the United States and MINUSTAH had signed an agreement, clarifying their roles and responsibilities in coordinating international relief efforts with the government of Haiti. Congressional Research Service 8 Haiti Earthquake: Crisis and Response five corrections advisers, and one drug specialist.” These funds would increase the U.S. police and corrections officer contribution to MINUSTAH from 50 and 5 to 80 and 10, respectively.25 25 U.S. Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development. FY2010 Haiti Supplemental Budget Justification. p. 44. This “peacekeeping” portion of the [total $143,489,000] request[ed] for the INCLE account would also pay for the construction of a temporary camp for the U.S. contingent and enough supplies to make them self- sustaining. U.S. assistance would also provide for the procurement of emergency supplies, replacement uniforms and equipment lost as a result of the earthquake, and purchase additional equipment needed to support an increased personnel contribution to MINUSTAH. Finally, the funds would support the training and equipping of a Formed Police Unit for the MINUSTAH mission in the areas of crowd/riot control and protection of U.N. facilities and personnel. Congressional Research Service 9 Figure 1. Haiti Earthquake Epicenter CRS-10 Haiti Earthquake: Crisis and Response Humanitarian Relief Operation Overall Status of the Relief Effort Experts break relief operations into several phases: search and rescue; treatment and survival; relocation and rehabilitation; early recovery; and long-term reconstruction. As with any significant natural disaster that has many moving parts, it can take days to get a relief effort underway. Delays in transportation and congestion, lack of transportation infrastructure, bureaucratic problems, and lack of access all can cause bottlenecks at key points in the system. While timing is critical to save lives, to enable a network of this size to function efficiently requires the coordination of assessments and appropriate responses with the government, local communities, and the international community. The sheer scale of the relief effort in Haiti has brought together tremendous capacity and willingness to help, but an ongoing effort and strategic planning is required at each phase to work out coordination and logistics issues. The massive humanitarian relief operation underway was hampered by a number of significant challenges, including a general lack of transportation, extremely limited communications systems, and damaged infrastructure. In many parts of Port- au-Prince, roads were ruptured or blocked by collapsed buildings, debris, bodies, and pe