International aid releases $600 million to rebuild the great south of Haiti
United Nations Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammed at a press conference in New York in September 2020 (illustration image).
AFP - ESKINDER DEBEBE
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
Wednesday in Port-au-Prince, international donors pledged to give 600 million dollars to help rebuild the great south of Haiti.
More than six months ago, on August 14, the region was devastated by a powerful 7.2 magnitude earthquake that killed more than 2,200 people and destroyed more than 130,000 homes.
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With corresponding note in Port-au-Prince,
Amélie Baron
Two billion dollars over four years: that's the money needed for
the reconstruction of southern Haiti
.
The 600 million promised this Wednesday, February 16 may not seem like much, but it is higher than the initial expectations of the UN.
Amina Mohammed, the Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations especially welcomed the new dynamic between international donors and the Haitian State, which defined the priorities of the reconstruction plan.
"
These contributions, large and small, demonstrate that the international community is committed to a new approach to working with the government and people of this country
," she said.
Foreign donors and the Haitian government thus want to ensure that lessons have been learned from the mistakes of the past, in particular the chaotic and uncoordinated management of aid after
the January 2010 earthquake.
The promised money will be paid into the fund developed by the UN and co-managed by several national and foreign bodies.
Ariel Henry, the Haitian Prime Minister, assures that it will be spent as planned.
“
We promise everyone, all donors that this money will be well used, transparently, at the service of the inhabitants of the deep south
,” he said.
Despite the enthusiasm of the day, Amina Mohammed nevertheless insisted on recalling the seriousness of the Haitian socio-economic crisis: nearly five of the eleven million inhabitants of the island still need humanitarian aid this year.
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Haiti
Humanitarian