(2009-06) Report of the Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Haiti (E/2009/105)

United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) • 2009 • 20 pages

Summary — Fifth ECOSOC Ad Hoc Advisory Group report, based on a May 2009 visit, on renewed international mobilization for Haiti, persistent institutional weakness, aid effectiveness, private sector momentum and rural community development.

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Key Findings

The April 2009 Washington conference mobilized political support and financial pledges of over 378 million dollars, yet the Government did not obtain the financing it hoped for, with about 82 million dollars announced against its recovery plan. Roughly 80 percent of development aid was spent through NGOs rather than public institutions, over which the Government had no control and little information. The 2008 hurricanes wiped out 15 percent of GDP in four weeks, left more than 1,000 dead and 800,000 injured or affected, and over a third of the population faced moderate or worse food insecurity, with WFP assistance reaching 2.7 million Haitians. The Group concluded that Haiti was at a crossroads and urged the Government to decide quickly, Parliament to accelerate reviews, and donors to align aid with government priorities, including urgent action on rural poverty, land tenure and credit access.

Full Description

This fifth report of the Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Haiti draws mainly on the Group's visit to Haiti from 4 to 7 May 2009, resumed after the 2008 political crisis, and follows the April 2009 Washington donors conference. It describes renewed international engagement, including the appointment of former US President Clinton as UN Special Envoy and the influence of Paul Collier's report on economic security, alongside grave persistent challenges: about 80 percent of aid was channelled through NGOs rather than public institutions, ministries remained weak, and Gonaïves was still highly vulnerable after the 2008 hurricanes that destroyed 15 percent of GDP. The report warns that Haiti stands at a crossroads and could relapse into social unrest without visible improvements in daily life. It highlights the double challenge of acting quickly on urgent needs, food security, jobs and hurricane preparedness while sustaining deeper community development, discusses the new dynamism around the private sector, the garment industry and the Competitiveness Commission, and issues nine recommendations on aid effectiveness, political consensus, basic services, credit access, food security, gender and NGO coordination.

Topics

Geography

Time Coverage

2008 — 2009-05

Keywords

E/2009/105, ECOSOC, Ad Hoc Advisory Group, aid effectiveness, Washington donors conference, Paul Collier report, food security, hurricanes 2008, Gonaives, private sector, garment industry, HOPE Act, rural development, MINUSTAH, series:ecosoc-adhoc-haiti

Entities

United Nations Economic and Social Council, Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Haiti, MINUSTAH, René Préval, Michèle Duvivier Pierre-Louis, Jean-Max Bellerive, Alrich Nicolas, Hédi Annabi, Bill Clinton, Paul Collier, Michel Forst, Gladys Coupet, Inter-American Development Bank, World Bank, IMF, WFP, FAO, UNDP, Commission de la compétitivité, OHCHR

Notes

UN document E/2009/105; ECOSOC Ad Hoc Advisory Group report series; ayitistats wave B