Report of the Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Haiti (E/1999/103)

This is the original report of the Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Haiti, created by ECOSOC resolution 1999/4 of 7 May 1999 at the Security Council's invitation to advise on making international assistance to Haiti adequate, coherent, well coordinated and effective. Chaired by Indonesia with members from Latvia, Mauritius, Brazil and Canada, the Group held briefings with the World Bank, UNDP and UN departments, joined a donors meeting in Washington, and visited Haiti from 27 to 29 June 1999, meeting President Préval, Prime Minister Alexis and a broad range of actors. The report situates Haiti as the western hemisphere's only least developed country, with annual per capita income of 250 dollars against a regional average of 3,320 dollars, extreme wealth concentration and mass rural poverty. It finds that total aid dropped about 35 percent between 1995 and 1998, largely because the parliamentary crisis blocked approval of over 570 million dollars in IDB and World Bank programs. Its recommendations, the origin of the long-term program of support, address national stability, a secure domestic environment, continued UN missions and a synthesis report on UN activities.