The OAS, during its Thirty-ninth General Assembly held in San Pedro Sula, Honduras adopted Resolution AG/RES. 2487 (XXXIX-O/09), “Support for Socio-economic Development and Sustainable Political Stability in Haiti”. That instrument requests that the General Secretariat, through the Haiti Task Force and other support mechanisms continue to play a prominent role in strengthening the partnership in support of democracy, development and security in Haiti.

Resolution 2487 also called for “a study of modalities for establishing a Hemispheric Development Fund for Haiti”. The Resolution followed the April Donors Conference on Haiti hosted by the Inter-American Development Bank, and the Fifth Summit of the Americas held in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad-and-Tobago.

In the context of this continued inter-american engagement with Haiti and the discussions in the Group of Friends of Haiti, the OAS undertook, with support of the Government of Haiti, an Inter-American Mission to Haiti from September 3–6, 2009.

This mission comprised Representatives from nine (9) Member States, Senior Officials of the five (5) inter-American agencies: OAS, IDB, PAHO, IICA, and PADF, and journalists representing the four languages of the OAS.

The visits had three main objectives:

- To continue the dialogue with Haitian authorities on the support to be provided to that country on the basis of the needs and priorities identified by the administration of President Rene Garcia Preval and Prime Minister Madame Michelle Duvivier Pierre-Louis.

- To highlight successful projects and programs being financed, executed or supported in Haiti by inter-American agencies, and member states which positively impact the lives of Haitians; and

- To begin crafting a policy that could lead to a strengthened inter-American partnership and coordination on support to Haiti. (See Annex III)

During the three-day visit, the mission held talks with the President of the Republic, His Excellency Rene Garcia Preval; Mr. Kelly Bastien, President of the Senate; Representatives from the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP); private sector leaders; and civil society organizations; as well as international community partners, and the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General in Haiti, the leadership of the MINUSTAH.

Apart from these formal and useful exchanges, the Mission made five site visits: Port-au-Prince, Gonaives and Jacmel. The sites in Port-au-Prince included the OAS supported National Office of Identification (ONI) which focuses on civil registry; the Isaie Jeanty Maternity Hospital where PAHO is supporting a program to provide Free Obstetric Care; and a PADF funded Community-driven chicken farm project. The two other project sites were the Pro-Huerta program backed by IICA in Gonaives and the airport and road construction project in Jacmel funded by the IDB.

These field visits and discussions with the project implementers and the involved Haitian authorities provided an opportunity to mission members to witness firsthand projects and programs financed or executed by participating Inter-American institutions which have had a lasting impact on the lives of the people of Haiti. They are likely to stimulate coordination among those institutions to better respond to the needs and priorities defined by Haitian authorities. They further contribute to advance the idea of a joint inter-American programming for Haiti.

In the margins of the mission, on September 3, 2009, the Minister of Foreign Affairs deposited the instrument of ratification of the Inter-American Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities, adopted by the OAS General Assembly in Guatemala City, Guatemala on June 7, 1999.

Conversations with Haitian Authorities, their social partners and Representatives of the international community pointed to the following issues: the political situation, constitutional reform, judicial reform, security improvement, future elections, priority sectors, such as agriculture and infrastructure.

The Mission observed a relatively stable political environment. The concerns raised following the senatorial partial elections seemed to have subsided, as the elected Senators were sworn in on September 4. The relations between the executive and the legislative branches are improving after the stormy debate on minimum wages and the inability of the Government to pay a fourteenth month bonus to the civil servants.

That improvement allowed the Government to avoid a vote of non confidence against three Ministers and to launch the process of constitutional reform. The efforts made by President Preval to maintain dialogue with all sectors in the society and the establishment of several commissions to reflect on important issues such as the constitutional reform have contributed to maintain the relative stability.

The security climate continues to improve, as the National Police has become stronger in size and works effectively with the support of MINUSTAH.

All the sectors recognize that the security situation continues to improve. Risky areas such as Cite Soleil, Martissant and Bel Air have become peaceful thanks to the arrest of gang leaders. Maritime patrolling and general patrolling have resulted in a decrease in violence and drug prevalence. The cases of kidnappings and urban crimes have been brought down and Haiti compares favorably with other countries in the region. The HNP has gained more trust in the population.

However, it has been reported that the National Police is significantly under-equipped, lacks financial and managerial resources. From 3500 in 2004 out of which 1500 had been dismissed, the police force has now reached 10.000 agents, including those who graduated recently. Based on the ratio police/population, the ideal size of police would be between 18.000 and 20.000 agents. By the end of 2010, the police institution should comprise 14.000 trained and vetted agents.

To show the impact of the lack of financial resources, the 702 police graduated in February 2009 had not been paid for three months. That budget difficulty explains the lack of weapons and ammunitions.

The OAS Office in Haiti plays the role of technical secretariat of the “9x2” mechanism of Latin American countries contributing troops to MINUSTAH to further assist in the strengthening of the Haitian National Police.

Regarding the electoral area, the two rounds of Partial Senatorial elections to renew one-third of the Senate took place on April 19 and June 21. It is important to stress that these elections were held with minimal disruptions. Despite some subsequent contests of the results which were ably addressed by the Provisional Electoral Council, 11 Senators were elected. Elections in the Department of the Centre could not be completed due to some elements of tension which marked the first round. Those Senators were sworn in, and now the slate of Senators within the Senate is almost complete, which should allow it to work more effectively.

The Provisional Electoral Council has begun preparations for elections due in November 2009 to renew one-third of the Senate, the entire Chamber of Deputies, Municipal Councils and all other locally elected officials. Presidential elections are due in November 2010.

The CEP acknowledged the support provided by the OAS, especially in terms of training, the creation of data bases, structure of the electoral list, and tabulation center. During a meeting with the inter-American mission, some members of the CEP indicated that the capacities of the body have increased, and that with the lessons learned, they are now better prepared for future elections. Among those lessons, is learning how to address difficulties which emerge when politicians, especially defeated candidates, are reluctant to stick to the rule of the game. In that regard, it is important to develop policies on transparency to make the process clearer and more reliable. The CEP has indicated its intentions to improve its technical audits of electoral operations and communication with stakeholders.

The electoral calendar and budget for future elections have been prepared; but the CEP is still dependent on the executive branch for the dates and required financial resources.

The OAS is expected to provide support to enable the Directorate of the Electoral Registry to update the electoral list, and to facilitate the connection between the electoral registry and the Tabulation Center. Further, Assistant Secretary General, Ambassador Albert Ramdin, announced that the OAS would soon send an electoral needs-assessment mission in Haiti.


While there is a visible and significant improvement in terms of political stability and security, many expressed the need for more and focused efforts towards social and economic development, especially in attracting capital investments in key sectors so as to foster productivity and jobs. Social vulnerability is still high, as the impact of efforts by the government and international community has not yet reached the people most in need. Additionally, expectations created by the Hope II Bill are yet to materialize, despite initiatives such as the promotion of free zones and attracting foreign investments.

President Preval and the private sector remain hopeful that the Hope II Bill passed by the US Congress would facilitate textile-based imports from Haiti, revive the productive sector and create jobs. The importance of the Hope II Bill became apparent during the debate on the minimum wage a few weeks ago.

The President believes, however, that difficulties related to the minimum wage issue have been resolved and the attention is now focused on the development of the agricultural sector, specifically the need to provide fertilizers, seeds, access to water for irrigation. The efforts have started to bear fruit. FAO has acknowledged significant increase in agricultural production in Haiti. Also important is roads and electric power generation infrastructure to help process and transport agricultural produce in rural areas.

The Director of the Investment Facilitation Center (CFI) has indicated that the period of time required for new businesses to be established has been reduced from 3 years to 6 months; and that from one-thousand requests, 60 have actually established businesses. He also expressed appreciation for the support provided by the OAS to improve the operations of the center.

Representatives of the Private sector shared some good news stories with the Inter-American mission. The Labadie Nord Company is building important port facilities that will allow very large cruise ships to berth in the north. This construction and spin-off activities should help to spur the economy of the region. Further, the International Financial Corporation (IFC) has characterized the local banking system as sturdy and well capitalized. Some banks are launching new strategies to fund small and medium size enterprises which should help in strengthening the formal economy. It was clearly expressed that improvement of the image of Haiti is very important for the tourism sector. In that regard, the objectives of the high-level delegation and the participation of journalists from across the Americas were greatly welcome.

Further, there seems to be a growing consensus among the key stakeholders on the agenda for the constitutional reform, for which the Government has tabled a proposal to the Senate and the House of Deputies. Some of the principal elements of the proposal are:

- Dual citizenship. Haitians by birth would replace the concept of Haitians by origin;

- Streamlining of the electoral system and the electoral calendar. The simplification will affect the periodicity and modalities of elections. Only a set of elections would be held every 5 years. The candidates will be elected by relative majority and there will be no rerun.

- Establishment of the Constitutional Council. This council will have the responsibility to consider the conformity of the laws with the constitution and will be the last resort in electoral matter.

- General Policy of the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister designate will present his/her declaration of general policy before the National Assembly (composed of the two chambers) and not before each chamber separately. However the vote will take place in separate chambers. In this regard, ideas are floating in Parliament about replacing the prime minister with a vice-president.

- Judicial reform. The judges will be appointed by the Higher Council for Justice, except those of the Supreme Court.

- Maintenance of the Armed Forces. This body which is already in the constitution will have the exclusive prerogative to fabricate, import and export arms. The President will chair it.

It is important to mention that the current legislature on September 14 declared those proposals receivable, and therefore they will be considered at the next legislature and the President during whose term the reform is approved cannot benefit from it.

President Preval considers judicial reform as one of his highest priorities. It is imperative to strengthen the system, which goes through determined fight against drug trafficking. He stated that this illegal trafficking in drugs further weakens the state and increases corruption in the public administration. Special assistance is also sought to reduce the length of pre-trial detention periods, for which the Justice Studies Center of the Americas has been asked to develop a project.

Continued security, social and political stability have generated an environment conducive to investments in key sectors and socio-economic development. The Mission expressed the view that it will be critical for all stakeholders to maintain such a climate, especially as Haiti will be entering soon heightened political activity in light of the upcoming Presidential elections in 2010.

Many counterparts and officials mentioned that it is important for Haiti to do more to encourage private investments and spur job creation; and also for donor countries and financial institutions to fulfill pledges made at the April Donor Conference in Washington DC.

During the visit the Mission informed the different partners in Haiti that the Inter-American institutions are aiming at greater collaboration so as to improve efficiency and effectiveness through an Inter-American Program of Support to Haiti, as well as that the preparations for the study of the modalities for the Hemispheric Development Fund for Haiti, as mandated by the Heads of State and Governments during the V Summit of the Americas, were in the final stages.

Below are the five projects visited and a brief summary of achievements.

Organization of American States
Provision of ID cards and modernization of the civil registry (Port-au-Prince)

OAS Technical assistance for the modernization of Haiti’s civil registry began in 2005. In 2006, the government of Haiti created the National Identification Office (ONI), a permanent institution under the Ministry of Justice to take charge of the identification of citizens. Since then, the OAS has been supporting ONI to strengthen its institutional capacity. 141 ONI offices have been opened throughout the country, at least one in each commune, to reach the entire population.

The personnel of ONI have received training in registration processes and the body has been equipped with the necessary technological and physical infrastructure, including its own identity card printer, to continue the registration of people on a permanent basis. To date, 4.2 million people have obtained their National Identification Card (CIN), which is the primary identity document required for various transactions in all Haiti.

Further, as part of the construction of the civil registry electronic database, nearly 3 million ‘archives registry entries’ have been digitalized and placed in an electronic database which, once complete, will allow for the decentralization of services and greater protection of the information.

Inter-American Development Bank
Program for Rehabilitation of Basic Economic Infrastructure (Jacmel)

Public road construction in Jacmel: The project of urban road construction has been implemented since 2006 by the Ministry of Public Works, Transportation, and Communications (MTPTC) and funded by the IDB. About 6 kilometers of roads are being constructed in the city of Jacmel. The work includes drainage and installation of a hydraulic network.

Construction of the air terminal in Jacmel: With the financial support of IDB, a modern two floor building is being constructed with all necessary facilities including arrival, security and services such as shops, restaurants, washrooms and parking. This project is being executed by the National Airport Authority, under the authority of the Ministry of Public Works, Transportation, and Communications.

Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture
Pro-Huerta Food Security Project (Gonaïves area)

Argentina and Canada with the assistance of IICA have been working with Haiti to implement a project on self-production of fresh food in the areas at greatest risk in Haiti, including rural, peri-urban, and urban zones. The experiment, which began as a pilot project, aimed at consolidating and expanding the Pro-Huerta project for a five-year period in five geographic departments of the country. It has enabled other international partners to participate through financing - the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the National Democratic Institute (NDI), the Government of Colombia, and a national network of local private and Haitian governmental institutions.

The food security program fosters the development of a social network through volunteer (unpaid) outreach workers who serve as leaders and counsel beneficiaries in agronomy and food practices. A group of 23 (paid) Haitian agronomists and technicians provide training and technical assistance to the outreach workers and to the families growing gardens. Today, the project has more than 1,500 volunteer workers and works with more than 10,000 gardens with 26 different species, which help 50,000 people by improving the food they consume. The total project budget is 7.8 million Canadian dollars, including support from all parties. It will benefit 26,400 families in 110 rural communities in five departments over a five-year period. Negotiations are under way to expand the project nationally to cover at least one million people.

Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)
Free Obstetric Care Project (SOG)* (Port-au-Prince area)

The main purpose of the Free Obstetric Care Project is to offer low-income women free access to institutional maternal and neonatal care. With a strategic perspective, SOG results will be used as evidence that will ultimately influence the policy decision to move toward social protection in health scheme (SPHS) in Haiti. Preliminary results are encouraging. Firstly, 3% of health facilities have shown a 59% increase of institutional deliveries. 39% of beneficiaries who gave birth in SOG institutions state that their previous delivery had taken place at home indicating a behavior change and the capacity of the project to reach the target population. This project is implemented with the financial support of Canada. The free obstetric care center visited is the Hospital Isaie Jeanty in the Port-au-Prince area.

Pan American Development Foundation
Community-Driven Development Program - Poultry Farm in Cité Soleil, Port-au-Prince area

The poultry farm in Cite Soleil is an egg production center run by women, under the PADF Urban Community Driven- Development (CDD) portfolio, funded by the World Bank, through the Bureau de Monetisation d’Aide au Développement of the Government of Haiti. This activity highlights employment generation, community participation and strengthening grassroots democracy. There are similar projects in other communities such as Bel Air, that also are participating in the CDD program for chicken production which highlight local management among community and cooperative enterprises. The Government of Haiti (GoH) has provided complementary technical support through the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Municipal Government of Cite Soleil has donated land to house the production center.

On the issue of the upcoming conference in Mexico, November 4-5, initiative of the Government of Mexico, the OAS and Haiti, President Preval stressed the need for effective coordination in planning and action, as well as budget support.

Sustained progress in the areas of security, social tranquility and political stability has generated an environment conducive to socio-economic development and investments in key sectors. The dividends of these achievements have yet to reach most of Haiti’s citizens, which makes the overall situation somewhat fragile, as risks of reversal are never far away. Therefore, in order to help Haiti fulfill its great promise the country will have to do more to maintain political stability encourage private investments and spur job creation. At the same time, donor countries and financial institutions will have to meet their commitments pledged in the April Donor Conference in Washington DC.


ANNEX 1

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The Inter-American Mission thanks the Government of Haiti who greatly facilitated its work through its Permanent Representative to the OAS, Ambassador Duly Brutus.

Thanks to the Representatives of the international community on the ground which provided much support, in particular MINUSTAH which provided high level security, land and air transportation, and logistical support to the delegation, in Port au Prince and during trips to Gonaives and Jacmel.

The General Secretariat expresses its appreciation to the Permanent Missions of Canada and United States for their financial support which made the mission possible.

Heartfelt thanks to the Ambassadors of Guyana, Costa Rica, Trinidad and Tobago, Mexico, Interim Representative of the USA, Embassy of Canada, Argentina and Chile in Haiti, Inter-American agencies, PAHO, PADF, IDB and IICA; journalists and the staff of the General Secretariat including the OAS Haiti Office for their participation in the Mission and the extended assistance during the Mission.

But above all special thanks to the people of Haiti for their willingness to meet with and the warmth with which they received the Mission and share in a very open and frank manner their views.



ANNEX II
LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

- Ambassador Albert R. Ramdin, Assistant Secretary General, Chairman of the Haiti Task Force and the Group of Friends of Haiti.
- Ambassador Bayney Ramchand Karran, Permanent Representative of Guyana to the OAS and Vice-Chair of the Permanent Council,
- Ambassador J. Enrique Castillo, Permanent Representative of Costa Rica to the OAS,
- Ambassador Glenda Morean-Phillip, Permanent Representative of Trinidad and Tobago to the OAS,
- Ambassador Sergio Joaquin Romero Cuevas, Advisor for Economic Relations of the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs of Mexico,
- Mr. Gilles Rivard, Ambassador of Canada to Haiti,
- Ambassador Duly Brutus, Permanent Representative of Haiti to the OAS,
- Mr. Lewis Amselem, Interim Representative of the Permanent Mission of the United States to the OAS,
- Mr. Lineu Pupo de Paula, Alternate Representative of Brazil to the OAS,
- Ms. Frances Seignoret, Alternate Representative, Permanent Mission of Trinidad and Tobago to the OAS
- Mr. Alberto Faes, Embassy of Argentina in Haiti,
- Mr. Erwan Varas Dulec, Embassy of Chile in Haiti,
- Dr. Mirta Roses, Director of the Pan American Health Organization,
- Mr. John Allen Sanbrailo, Executive Director of the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF),
- Mrs. Dora Currea, General Manager of the Caribbean Department in the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB),
- Mr. David Hatch, Associate Deputy Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture,
- Mr. Frederic Bolduc, Head of Multilateral Affairs at the Office of Quebec in Washington,
- Mr. Louis Alexander, Senior Program Director of the PADF, and



ANNEX III
Inter-American Program for Haiti 2009-2014

I- General Objective
To develop an Inter-American Program for Haiti that would include the development and implementation of joint project proposals with all inter-American agencies as well as donor countries.
II- Strategy
To develop a more coordinated approach in the development of policy, delivery of programs and distribution of resources. This strategic coordination will become the fulcrum for advancing and realizing the goals of democratic governance, socio-economic development and security in Haiti, and will be responsive to the priority needs of the Haitian government and people.
III – Specific Programs of Action

1. Democratic Governance: to contribute towards a stable political climate by providing support to the electoral process, the modernization of the civil registry and the training of public civil servants.

2. Economic Development & Job Creation: to support efforts by Haiti to attract investment and spur employment generation. A coordinated inter-American program could play an integral role in organizing trade missions, promoting tourism sector development through training and capacity building, development of community projects (e.g. Clean Streets), and rural farming support.

3. Social Services and Infrastructure Support: Recognizing the importance of a social protection network, the inter-American program on Haiti will include a special emphasis on health, education, nutrition, water and sanitation, and the infrastructure to support the delivery of these services even as it supports long term economic development.

4. Security: Support peace, stability, human rights and the rule of law by providing expertise to assist with judicial reform, training of the Haitian National Police, and building law enforcement capacity in the fight against illegal trafficking in drugs, firearms and people.

5. Environment: Environmental stewardship is an urgent priority for the inter-American program on Haiti which will include projects on coastal environmental management; watershed management; bio-fuel development; sustainable agriculture; and natural disaster preparedness, prevention and mitigation.


IV – Phases of implementation of the Inter-American Program

The process of cooperation among inter-American institutions will be comprised of three phases which will strengthen our collective capacity to deliver while not compromising the institutional identity of each inter-American agency involved in the program:

Phase 1: Exchange information on current projects in Haiti. This phase is ongoing.

Phase II: Assembling and compilation of information into a database or electronic platform that will be shared among all participants in the program.

Phase III: Implementation of complementary activities on the ground with shared costs and logistics.

Phase IV: To develop an integrated program that brings together the unique and distinct capabilities of each institution. The integrated program with multiple partners will be well positioned to apply jointly for resources and to coordinate program execution.



ANNEX IV: INTER-AMERICAN MISSION TO HAITI,
TRANSCRIPTION OF THE PRESENTATION OF THE VERBAL REPORT
TO THE PERMANENT COUNCIL AND INTERVENTIONS OF THE MEMBER STATES