Hatians walk through devastated downtown Port-au-Prince. (2010 Evelyn Hockstein/CARE) |
GENEVA (January 24, 2010) - As foreign ministers gather for a donor conference on aid for Haiti this Monday, CARE calls for balanced, long-term funding that will meet the country's emergency and rehabilitation needs and debt relief to ensure its recovery from the earthquake.
CARE urges donors to support:
- Immediate funding that will balance infrastructure reconstruction efforts and large-scale logistics with the urgent need for sustained support at the community level, particularly for those left most vulnerable by the earthquake.
- Adequate and sustainable financing in the form of grant-aid to address the country's recovery and long-term social and economic development needs.
- Full cancellation of Haiti's debt as a critical part of any assistance program.
Emergency relief is pouring into Haiti and humanitarian organizations like CARE have received generous donations to carry out immediate, life saving work, such as distributing food, water and supplies to those most affected and vulnerable. But longer term funding is needed to rebuild the country's infrastructure and the lives of survivors.
"We know from previous large scale disasters, such as the Asia tsunami in 2004, that our response in Haiti will be a long term one," said Robert Glasser, CARE International secretary general. "If donors focus solely on immediate relief there will not be sufficient funds to meet needs for rehabilitation and reconstruction, and the opportunity to help the country rebuild its future will be lost."
The donor community must ensure that aid reaches all people in need, inside and outside of Port-au-Prince, particularly as the Haitian government moves survivors to temporary tent cities. Funding for trucks, fuel and to establish community-level distribution systems must be prioritized to accomplish this. Women and children, including the tens of thousands of children orphaned by the quake, are especially vulnerable to violence in these kinds of crowded living conditions and demand immediate and sustained assistance.
In addition, support for the safe delivery and feeding of newborn children must be immediate as there are reportedly 37,000 pregnant women in the capital – an estimated 10,000 of whom are due to deliver within the next 30 days. With limited or no access to health facilities, pregnant women are at an even greater risk of complications and death related to pregnancy and childbirth.
As the emergency phase of the response gives way to reconstruction it is also critical that donors support debt relief for Haiti and the design and implementation of programs and policies that are "pro-poor."
Before the earthquake struck, Haiti had a population of approximately 9 million people, 80 percent of whom were living on roughly $1 a day, and an enormous gap between rich and poor. While two thirds of Haiti's debt ($ 1.2 billion) was canceled in June 2009, the country still has $641 million in debt and an annual debt service payment it cannot afford.
Recovery from the current crisis and long term development will only be possible if Haiti's debt is canceled in full in addition to long term sustainable financing. Social safety nets and programs to reduce the risk of future disasters are urgently needed.
"This is not the first nor will it be the last natural disaster to hit Haiti," said Glasser. "But it is our chance as a community to relieve the country from a terrible debt burden and help Haitians build a new future on a new foundation of equitable development."
