Filed under: Foreign Aid, Haiti | Tags: Ban Ki-moon, Bill Clinton, Development, Economic Growth, Haiti, Hurricanes, International Crisis Group, Paul Collier, UN Secretary General, United Nations
In a previous post, I mentioned that Haiti is at a crossroads in its history; at a singular moment to escape the chaos and violence that keeps it poor. This is the same message UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon delivered today in an editorial for the New York Times, it’s the same message previously elaborated by his special advisor on Haiti, Oxford University development economist Paul Collier, and it’s also the message delivered by former President Bill Clinton after his recent visit.
In the face of perceived donor-fatigue, exacerbated by the tough economic times, each of the above figures is trying to galvanize financial support for Haiti ahead of a major donor conference in Washington. The conference is scheduled for mid-April and will determine whether or not Haiti has the necessary funds to carry out projects aimed at benefiting the poor multitude and reinforcing the current social peace. To call the conference critical would be an understatement.
If Haiti is to sustain the current social calm its going to take widespread job creation catalyzed by a sustained financial commitment from international donors. The kidnappings, violent protests and general disorder of 2006 and 2007 have been reined in with the support of the population and the UN’s stabilization mission (MINUSTAH). Even the once hyper-violent slums of Port-au-Prince have been retaken from gangs and drug traffickers.
But grinding poverty, high food prices, and the devastation of past hurricanes still wear on much of the population and the country’s patience is beginning to wane. An International Crisis Group report, titled “Stability at Risk,” warns that if wide-spread job creation can’t be quickly achieved, the consequences to social peace will be dire.
One of the main reasons for optimism, and certainly a selling point to donors, is the act known as HOPE II. HOPE II is a trade agreement that gives Haiti’s garment industry duty-free, quota-free access to American markets for the next nine years. According to the economist Collier, “Haiti is now the world’s safest production location for garments.” He estimates that as many as three hundred thousand jobs could be created out of the act. That’s an astronomical number in a country of roughly nine million. (more…)
