Haiti

At a meeting at the OAS called by Assistant Secretary General Ambassador Albert R. Ramdin, Chairman of the Haiti Task Force, representatives from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) discussed this week mechanisms for stronger cooperation on Haiti among Inter-American agencies.

Haiti watchers were hoping last week’s Senate run-off election might reduce tension in the impoverished Caribbean nation. But violence during the polling may have dampened those hopes as the country tries to avoid crossing the breaking point.

The United Nations mission in Haiti has paid tribute to the people of the impoverished country and its security forces for holding well-run Senate elections yesterday. The second round of voting for seats in the Senate were conducted peacefully in all nine departments, the mission, known as MINUSTAH, said in a news release.

Bill Clinton, the former US president, has formally taken up a new role as United Nations special envoy to the impoverished Caribbean island of Haiti. Clinton, who accepted the role in May, is charged with improving the island's ailing economy and combating unemployment, particularly following last year's devastating tropical storms.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced the appointment of Bill Clinton as the United Nations Special Envoy for Haiti, building on the former United States President’s extensive engagement with the Caribbean nation. “I am confident that President Clinton will bring energy, dynamism and focus to the task of mobilizing international support for Haiti’s economic recovery and reconstruction,” said Mr. Ban.

The challenge facing Haiti of achieving stability and economic recovery remains great, especially after a year of damaging setbacks, but the impoverished nation has seen significant progress in the last two years, the head of a United Nations team that visited the country said today. “Last year was an extraordinarily difficult year for the country with the devastation wrought by four hurricanes, the rise in food prices and of oil prices,” Ambassador John McNee of Canada told reporters. … But he noted that the improving security situation and the continued recruitment and training of the Haitian national police were encouraging signs for the future.

A team of United Nations advisors set off on a visit to Haiti today following pledges worth nearly $325 million made at a donor conference in Washington last month for the impoverished Caribbean nation’s reconstruction and development. The Ad Hoc Advisory Group of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) will use the four-day trip to study the most appropriate ways to support Government efforts towards economic and social development in Haiti.

The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) today welcomed the publication of election results for the Caribbean country’s Senate although poor turn out meant that none of the candidates picked up sufficient votes to win a seat outright. The average participation rate for the first round of balloting last week was just over 11 per cent across Haiti, but MINUSTAH noted that numbers varied widely from one department to another.

Haiti's long-delayed senate elections have been marred by extremely poor voter turnout. … Most cited poverty, disenchantment with the current government and resentment over the banning of a popular party as reasons for not voting, she said. The polls, delayed since 2007 and held under the watch of 9,000 UN peacekeepers on Sunday, were seen as an important step in the country's return to democracy.

Hailing pledges worth nearly $325 million for Haiti's reconstruction and development made at a donor conference in Washington last week, the top United Nations envoy to the impoverished country today expressed hope the funds will be quickly disbursed. … The Special Representative, who also heads the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), stressed that improving the economic and social situation was essential to consolidating stability in the country.