IDB

According to the Cable, former U.S. President Bill Clinton will be named a U.N. special envoy to Haiti this week.  Clinton made his fourth trip to Haiti in March with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon.  He had told the Miami Herald, "I've been following this country for more than three decades...the message I want to send is Haitians work hard and they work smart.  Haiti is a good place to invest."  

Delegates from 28 countries and multilateral organizations participated in the 2009 Haiti Donors Conference.  Given the global economic downturn , now is a tough time to hold such an event.  Donors pledged to provide $324 million in additional aid to Haiti over the next two years, of which $41 million is for budget support in 2009.  Not as much as hoped for, but if the Haitian government can spend it well, this may open doors for increased support from donors later on. 

Below are remarks made by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the Haiti Donors' Conference today.  While the United States provides in kind contributions of food, she notes that this is not the answer to Haiti's hunger.  She instead emphasizes the importance of environmental rehabilitation, agriculture, livelihoods, and infrastructure.  She also highlights the potential of alternative energy.  After the conclusion of the conference, Secretary Clinton will visit Haiti en route to the Summit of the Americas.

According to Caribbean 360, The Inter-American Development (IDB) has announced a US$25 million grant to improve the road network and road maintenance in Haiti's southwestern departments.  If you've travelled the Grande Anse by road, you know how important this is. The grant is part of a four-phase IDB program to provide Haiti with US$100 million to rehabilitate its roads.

It seems as if everyone except Haiti's Deputies are desperate for Haiti to have a Prime Minister, and thus, a functional government.  Preval has named his second choice - Robert "Bob" Manuel, a close colleague and previous Secretary of State for Public Security. His chances aren't great and donors are concerned.  According to the Miami Herald, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is visiting Haiti to discuss the progress of various bilateral technical programs, such as a food program where Brazil has donated $200,000 and a trash collection program. Undoubtedly, they willl discuss the political impasse as well.  If this doesn't work, we may need to send in reinforcements - the much revered Brazilian soccer team.  

The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) Foundation and the Inter American Development Bank recently announced a plan to ensure access to computers for over 13,000 Haitian students.  Under the plan, the OLPC Foundation will provide 2 million dollars, the IDB will provide 3 million, and UNESCO will carry out an external evaluation.  If the program is successful, and we hope it is, then it could be expanded further in Haiti and other countries.

I was reading an article on Carribean 360 concerning the International Development Bank's $760 million plan to renovate the Peligre Dam, in order to increase its capacity to provide electricity to the portion of Haiti south of the dam.   Hydropower can be an asset to countries, but not at any cost.  The Peligre Dam is a cautionary tale about the horrible things sometimes done by governmental and international organizations in the name of development.  Development for whom?  At what cost?