Caribbean360: Aid agencies urged to work closer with Haitian authorities

Aid agencies urged to work closer with Haitian authorities
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Chris Hoyos on 13/01/2012 10:35:00
 
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, Friday January 13, 2012 – The Caribbean Community
(CARICOM) and the Organisation of American States (OAS) have urged donor
agencies to work closer with Haitian authorities to facilitate recovery efforts
in the earthquake-ravaged country.
The appeal from the two organizations coincided with the second anniversary of
the 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck January 12 leaving an estimated 300,000
people dead and more than 1.5 million homeless.
CARICOM Chairman Desiré Bouterse, the President of Suriname, said “heartening
progress” had been made re-housing the homeless and clearing thousands of
tonnes of rubble.
However, he pointed out that reconstruction and resettlement have been slow.
The head of the 15-member grouping renewed the call for the international
community to “make good on its pledges in support of the priorities for
Haiti’s redevelopment and reconstruction as defined by the government and
people of Haiti.”
With around half a million people still living in tents, OAS Secretary General
Jose Miguel Insulza said the international community needed to re-focus and
re-think its aid co-ordination efforts.
He said there was need for closer collaboration with the Haitian government and
other recognized authorities.
“This year, millions of dollars in aid will again be allocated to Haiti by the
international community and various agencies. This is an ideal opportunity to
re-assess under Haitian leadership what has been achieved to date, where the new
priorities are, and where we can all do better,” he stated.
The OAS head added: “aid agencies working in Haiti certainly mean well, but we
must all ensure that there is co-ordination with local and national authorities
in the delivery of assistance.”
According to UN data, only six per cent of bilateral aid for recovery projects
was channeled through Haitian institutions.
Around 53 percent of the US$4.5 billion pledged for recovery programmes in
2010-11 had been delivered, the figures indicate. Click here to receive free
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