Long-term Programme of Support for Haiti: Report of the Secretary-General (E/2003/54)

This April 2003 Secretary-General's report to ECOSOC reviews implementation of the long-term program of support for Haiti mandated by the Council in 1999 and considered at each substantive session since. Prepared in close coordination with the UN resident coordinator, it assesses the state of the program against the backdrop of Haiti's protracted political crisis, the continued suspension or reduction of external assistance, and worsening socioeconomic conditions. The report describes the difficulties of delivering development support in the absence of a resolution to the political impasse that followed the 2000 legislative elections, and the efforts of the United Nations system, the Organization of American States, and financial partners to sustain humanitarian and basic-services engagement. It reviews governance, economic, and social indicators, and reiterates that a durable program requires restored democratic legitimacy, improved security, and coordinated donor support aligned with Haitian priorities. It forms part of the recurring ECOSOC reporting line on Haiti that continues in the annual reports of the Ad Hoc Advisory Group.