Haiti Donors' Conference Set For U.N. Headquarters

By: Caribbean World News Wednesday March 17,

The much-touted donor conference for Haiti`s rebuilding effort is slated to U.N. headquarters on March 31st.

The United States, in cooperation with the government of Haiti, will join the United Nations in co-hosting the ministerial-level `International Donors` Conference: Towards a New Future for Haiti.

The conference, according to the U.S. State Department in a statement Tuesday, `will be an opportunity for the international community to pledge new financial assistance to help Haiti rebuild, and to mobilize a truly global and sustained international effort to partner with Haiti.`

It will focus on pledges of assistance for recovery and development, as distinct from the humanitarian assistance provided by over 140 donors so far following the devastating earthquake on January 12th.

The `attention is now turning to the longer-term recovery and reconstruction needs of the country, even while the relief effort continues,` said the Department.

The government of Haiti, which will present its strategy for recovery based on input from a Post-Disaster Needs Assessment led by the Government with the joint support of the United Nations, World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, European Commission, and major donors. So far, the rebuilding price tag has been put by Haitian officials at a whopping $14 billion.

The conference will be co-chaired by Brazil, Canada, the European Union, France, and Spain as leading donors to Haiti.

Participants will be asked to pre-register for the Conference through the Conference website and detailed information on how to register, along with technical details on pledge content and how to register pledges will be forthcoming from UNDP.

Conference preparation includes a series of outreach consultations with the Haitian Diaspora from March 21-23, in Washington, D.C., organized by the Organization of American States. Many in the Haitian Diaspora have been critical of the lack of consultation with them and Haitians at home on the rebuilding efforts.