11 March 2010
Obama Pledges Long-Term U.S. Commitment to Haiti
Washington — The reconstruction of earthquake-stricken Haiti could take more than a decade and cost between $8 billion and $14 billion, but the United States pledges a lasting commitment to the people of Haiti to see it through, President Obama says.
“The situation on the ground remains dire, and people should be under no illusions that the crisis is over,” Obama said at a White House press conference with Haitian President René Préval at his side March 10. “Many Haitians are still in need, desperate need in some cases, of shelter and food and medicine.”
“And with the spring rains approaching, those needs will only grow. The challenge now is to prevent a second disaster,” Obama said.
Préval thanked Obama for his commitment and thanked the United States for its outpouring of support and assistance, both military and civilian, in getting through the immediate crisis. But he also advised that there are strong lessons to be learned by the international community for its response in future natural disasters.
“We must draw the lessons from what occurred in Haiti — the massive, spontaneous, generous help was a good response to the disaster. However, its effectiveness must be improved, because effectiveness depends on the quality of coordination,” Préval said.
Préval was in Washington to meet with the president and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to discuss the situation in Haiti and his plans for the island nation’s recovery. Haiti is one of the poorest nations in the Western Hemisphere and had not had a chance for full recovery from the effects of a 2008 hurricane when a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck near the capital, Port-au-Prince, on January 12, killing an estimated 230,000 people and displacing millions.
A preliminary study by international economists at the Inter-American Development Bank estimated that it will cost between $8.1 billion and $14 billion over a period of 10 years for a full recovery of the impoverished nation. The economists said no single international organization or nation could manage or pay for the reconstruction of Haiti, that it would take a combined effort because of the staggering destruction caused by the accumulated natural disasters.
INTERNATIONAL DONORS’ CONFERENCE
A donors’ conference to mobilize international support for the long-term development and recovery of Haiti will be held at the United Nations March 31.
The conference “will be an opportunity, an important opportunity, for all parties,” Obama said. “Haiti can lead the way, and will lead the way, with a strong vision for its future.”
The ministerial-level conference is being sponsored jointly by the United States and the United Nations in cooperation with the Haitian government, and also with the support of Brazil, Canada, the European Union, France and Spain. It is being called the International Donors’ Conference Towards a New Future for Haiti.
“Donor countries, international organizations and other partners will have an opportunity to pledge resources, to coordinate support of Haiti’s long-term recovery, and to commit to a sustained effort to support Haiti,” the State Department said in an announcement.
In addition, the Dominican Republic, which is Haiti’s nearest neighbor, will host an international conference of high-level technical donors to evaluate the economic consequences of the earthquake. Scheduled for March 16–17 in Santo Domingo, it will serve as the base for the donors’ conference at the United Nations, according to Dominican government officials.
