(2001-05) Long-Term Programme of Support for Haiti: Report of the Secretary-General (E/2001/67)

United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) • 2001 • 14 pages

Summary — Secretary-General's report to ECOSOC on Haiti covering the disputed 2000 elections, President Aristide's return to office, economic recession, MICAH's institutional support work and progress on the CCA, UNDAF and poverty reduction strategy.

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Key Findings

The May 2000 elections drew roughly 60 percent turnout, the highest since 1990, but a flawed Senate seat calculation, uncorrected despite OAS objections, compromised the process; Fanmi Lavalas won 18 of 19 contested Senate seats and 72 of 83 deputy seats, and Aristide won the boycotted November presidential vote with an official 92 percent. The year 2000 was marked by recession, a budget deficit of 1,950 million gourdes financed by the central bank at more than two and a half times the level agreed with the IMF, and inflation rising from about 10 percent to over 18 percent. The political stalemate blocked ratification of new international loans, and the World Bank cut its permanent presence to a liaison officer based in the Dominican Republic. MICAH nevertheless delivered technical support across police, justice and human rights, and preparation of the CCA, UNDAF and interim PRSP advanced as building blocks of a long-term support programme.

Full Description

This report of the Secretary-General on the long-term programme of support for Haiti reviews national developments and UN activities during 2000 and early 2001. It recounts the May and July 2000 legislative, municipal and local elections, marked by a contested Senate seat calculation that the OAS observation mission called a grave error, the opposition boycott of the November 2000 presidential election won by Jean-Bertrand Aristide with an official 92 percent of votes, and the polarized standoff between the new government and the Convergence démocratique, with repeated OAS mediation. Economically, 2000 brought recession features: GDP growth of about 2.2 percent, a budget deficit of 1,950 million gourdes financed by the central bank, inflation rising from around 10 percent to over 18 percent, near-absent foreign investment and reduced World Bank presence. The report details the results of MICAH's police, justice and human rights pillars and the proposed UNDP post-MICAH transition programme, the coordination role of the resident coordinator, agency activities, and progress on the common country assessment, the UNDAF 2002-2006 and the interim poverty reduction strategy paper, noting that the political impasse constrained development cooperation.

Topics

Geography

Time Coverage

2000 — 2001-05

Keywords

E/2001/67, ECOSOC, Secretary-General report, long-term programme of support, 2000 elections, Fanmi Lavalas, Convergence démocratique, MICAH, rule of law, police reform, human rights, economic recession, OAS mediation, series:ecosoc-adhoc-haiti

Entities

United Nations Economic and Social Council, Secretary-General of the United Nations, MICAH, MIPONUH, MICIVIH, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, René Préval, Jean-Marie Chérestal, Conseil électoral provisoire, Organization of American States, César Gaviria, Luigi Einaudi, Convergence démocratique, Fanmi Lavalas, UNDP, World Bank, IMF, UNICEF, UNESCO, Office du Protecteur du citoyen

Notes

UN document E/2001/67; Secretary-General report on the long-term programme of support for Haiti; ayitistats wave B