Mr. President of the Senate, Mr. President of the Chamber of Deputies, Members of Parliament, Officials of the Government,
Members of the Corps Diplomatique, OAS Country Representative in Haiti and in the Dominican Republic, Colleagues of the Pan American Development Foundation, Specially invited guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,


First of all, permit me to thank the President of the Senate, the President of the Chamber of Deputies, the Parliamentary Commission for the Development of the Border Region, and the Pan-American Development Foundation for this kind invitation to address parliamentarians, government officials and other stakeholders supporting the development of the Haiti-Dominican Republic border region.

At the outset, I want to congratulate the Haitian Parliament for initiating this national forum.

Allow me to reaffirm the commitment of the OAS to continue supporting the Government and people of Haiti aimed at strengthening democracy, democratic governance, security, human rights protection, and socio-economic development.

As some of you may know, I have just completed a visit to Cité Soleil, Cap Haitien, and Belladère, and of course Port au Prince, along with OAS Permanent Representatives from Bahamas, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Mexico, Peru, United States and Uruguay. We also had the opportunity to fly over Labadie, the Baie de l’Acul and Fort Liberte accompanied by the Minister of Tourism.

We were also able to receive an assessment of the current political and socio-economic situation as well as a perspective for the future from His Excellency the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister, Government Ministers, the President of the Senate, the President of the Chamber of Deputies, representatives of the international communities, and members of civil society. Furthermore, we were able to discuss with elected officials of Cite Soleil, Cap-Haitien and Belladere about areas where additional support might be needed.

It was extremely encouraging to see not only the noticeable progress that has been achieved but to gain first-hand knowledge of the opportunities, challenges and needs.

Today, we see a stronger, more vibrant and stable Haiti, moving towards a more sustainable path of democratic consolidation, economic growth, human rights protection and security. At the same time we all have to realize that not all can be realized immediately; we all know that breaking down a system does not take much, but building one takes time, collective effort and patience.

The current climate of political inclusiveness is critical to sustain relative political, economic and social stability and progress. It is important to facilitate a process of social and economic development, focusing on key areas of education, health, justice, production, investment promotion and job creation.

The improved security environment provides an opportunity for government, private sector and non-governmental institutions to accelerate the pace of implementation.

We recognize the on-going needs to strengthen the institutional capacity of ministries and government agencies, as well as the need to expand the capacity to carry out the required public works.

I believe that it is important to channel donor aid as much as possible through the Haitian budget, as it will enhance the anticipated delivery capacity of the Government but also facilitate a more coordinated approach with regard to the priorities by sector and region.

In this regard, the OAS is pleased with the adoption of the National Strategy Document for Growth and Poverty Reduction (DSNCRP), which provides a programmatic framework for the assistance which has been pledged by the international community and I urge the international community to deliver on the pledges made.

I have always stated and let me repeat it today again that whatever we do in Haiti and for the Haitians should be based in the first place on the priorities and needs identified by the Haitians themselves. The responsibility for the political and socio-economic development of Haiti lies in the first place with the Haitians themselves. All the OAS and I believe the international community can do is to assist and facilitate.

The OAS recognizes the challenges and opportunities that several of its member states face in improving the management of their border regions. Whether it is the borders between Nicaragua and El Salvador, Ecuador and Colombia, the United States and Mexico, Belize and Guatemala, there will be problems of smuggling, undocumented migration, as well as difficult issues over commerce.

The challenge that we all face is the establishment of manageable transparent and harmonized systems, procedures and mechanisms to facilitate the interactions, to take mutual advantages of the opportunities, and to enhance the lives of their people living in border communities.

I have been fortunate to have visited Ouanaminthe and Dajabon in 2006. On Saturday, I was able to observe the significant investments the Government is making in Belladère. I visited the site of the coming Haiti Border Administration Complex of Belladere being executed by the Presidential Commission for the Development of the Border Region and PADF.

The OAS is pleased to be active in the border region of Haiti and the Dominican Republic through the excellent work being carried out by our affiliate, the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF). I would like to thank the donors for these projects: the Canadian Government, the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and USAID for providing the funding.

As I have seen from my visits to the area, there is a great potential for growth; and the work initiated by the Parliament and the Executive branch to strengthen ties, partnership, and working relation with the Dominican Republic is critical to achieve these objectives.

I believe that Haiti is moving in the right direction in its efforts to address the socio-economic development of the border region and its commitment to strengthen its partnership with the Dominican Republic. I applaud the work of health officials of both countries to develop bi-national initiatives to combat HIV/AIDS; and I encourage the two Governments in their continuing efforts and dialogue to find a solution to the problem of avian flu.

As you move forward in strengthening your relationship and policies for enhanced border management, I call on you to focus on two areas: transparency and increased cross-border cooperation:

The best tool that you have to combat corruption and smuggling on the border is transparency. I encourage the Haitian and Dominican authorities to work closely together in reviewing, and harmonizing the policies for cross-border human and trade movement, revising the relevant procedures and regulations accordingly, publishing and strictly enforcing them. I am pleased to inform you that with funding from USAID, the OAS through PADF will be supporting this effort.

Secondly, I encourage you to further the work of the “Commission Mixte” and other formal working groups, as these mechanisms are critical for effective dialogue and strengthened partnership and cooperation for long-term solutions.

Finally, through the OAS Group of Friends of Haiti, and other mechanisms, the OAS will continue to encourage its member-states and other members of the international community:

• To increase their assistance to the Haitian Government so it can continue to establish and reinforce the basic infrastructures along the border; and

• To enhance the synchronization of the technical assistance coming from different sources, and to contribute to the “Fonds de Développement FRONTALIER”.

As parliamentarians, you have the vision and foresight to move this issue forward on the national agenda, and the OAS stands ready to support you in this endeavor.

I thank you for your attention and wish the best in your deliberations of the next two days.