(2017-06) Report of the Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Haiti (E/2017/77)

United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) • 2017 • 15 pages

Summary — ECOSOC advisory group report on Haiti after the February 2017 electoral transition, covering Hurricane Matthew's economic damage, weak social indicators, the cholera epidemic and the MINUSTAH to MINUJUSTH transition.

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Key Findings

Hurricane Matthew caused an estimated $1.9 billion in damage and loss, about 23 per cent of GDP, hitting agriculture hardest, while GDP grew only an estimated 1.4 per cent in fiscal 2016 and the gourde depreciated an average 19.5 per cent. World Bank estimates put 59 per cent of the population below the national poverty line of $2.42 per day, with chronic malnutrition affecting roughly half the population, illiteracy at 51.3 per cent among those over 15, and only 45 per cent of children aged 12 to 23 months fully vaccinated. Only an estimated 38 per cent of Haitians have electricity, 25 per cent have adequate sanitation, and just 15 per cent of the 3,500 km road system is in decent condition. The February 2017 electoral transition was seen as a window of opportunity, and the MINUSTAH to MINUJUSTH transition plan was under preparation.

Full Description

The thirteenth report of the ECOSOC Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Haiti draws on visits to Washington, D.C. in March 2017 and to Haiti in May 2017, where members met the newly installed President, Prime Minister and Cabinet after the completion of the electoral process in February 2017. The report reviews an economy in which GDP grew an estimated 1.4 per cent in fiscal 2016, Hurricane Matthew caused an estimated $1.9 billion in damage and loss, about 23 per cent of GDP, and the gourde depreciated 19.5 per cent during 2016. Social indicators remained weak: 59 per cent of the population below the national poverty line, some of the worst health indicators in the world, a highly inefficient education sector and only 38 per cent of Haitians with electricity. The report describes the new Government's reform agenda, including the Caravane du changement agricultural campaign, the transition from MINUSTAH to the rule of law focused MINUJUSTH, the medium-term cholera elimination plan budgeted at $180 million, and recommendations on aid coordination and national ownership.

Topics

Geography

Time Coverage

2016 — 2017

Keywords

E/2017/77, ECOSOC, Ad Hoc Advisory Group, Hurricane Matthew, electoral transition 2017, MINUSTAH, MINUJUSTH, cholera elimination, Caravane du changement, poverty, electricity access, aid coordination, series:ecosoc-adhoc-haiti

Entities

Economic and Social Council; Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Haiti; MINUSTAH; MINUJUSTH; International Monetary Fund; World Bank; Inter-American Development Bank; Pan American Health Organization; World Health Organization; Organization of American States; American Red Cross; Électricité d'Haïti; External Aid Coordination Framework; Comité d'Efficacité de l'Aide

Notes

UN document E/2017/77 via ReliefWeb; ayitistats wave B; ECOSOC Ad Hoc Advisory Group report series (full, per user)