$1.15 billion US Aid Package for Haiti Goes to the Clinton Global Initiative by Stanley Lucas

For the third time this week, Fox News Anchor Bill O’Reilly highlighted the “Haiti Aid Scandal”.  First, I think it would be helpful to outline the various pots of money that the US Government has allocated to Haiti so that we can all be clear about what is being discussed:

 

         1.     In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, the US Government allocated approximately $1 billion in aid.  Of that, only a couple hundred million actually got to the Haitian people for emergency assistance (medical, food, water, etc).  The rest was to fund the cost of sending the 82^nd Airborne and military down to Haiti to stabilize the country – as the UN mission was very badly hit by the earthquake.

 

2. Another $1.5 billion was allocated by the Congress for recovery (removing rubble) and rebuilding (permanent shelter).  Nine months later, more than 1.5 million people are still living in the streets.  That money was appropriated by Congress months ago and is only going to be released by the State Department in the coming weeks.  The State Department took months to submit their plan for how to combat waste and fraud with the allocated funds.

 

3. There is a third pot of money in the amount of $500 million for infrastructure projects that is currently being held in the Senate by Senator Tom Coburn (R) because it is “unfunded” meaning they have not offset the budget expense by an equal budget cut.

 

 The stunning news tonight is that the Clinton Global Initiative will receive all $1.15 billion of the $1.5 billion to deploy in Haiti as they see fit.  For the Haitian Diaspora in the US and Haitians in-country it is somewhat surprising that the Secretary of State would put the money exclusively in her husband’s hands.  This is disappointing because it is not what President Barack Obama promised Haitians.  He committed to developing a partnership with Haiti – meaning that US aid would go to directly to Haitian institutions to strengthen their capacity not third party. 

 

 There are several potential implications for this money going exclusively to the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI).  First, there are potentially other organizations that would be deserving of some of these funds but now everyone will have to prove themselves worthy to Mr. Clinton.  Second, this means big dollars for Clinton’s NGO.  The standard overhead or administrative fee used by NGOs is 22%, which means Bill Clinton’s NGO potentially just secured $253 million in overhead expenses, and has potentially fully funded his Initiative for years to come.  CGI will then presumably make grants to other organizations, which will also require an overhead operating budget.  This multiplier effect on overhead could result in more money than necessary going to operational budgets for international NGOs.  This is potentially a lot of money going into the US system and not actually reaching the victims. Third, Clinton does not have a stellar track record of helping Haiti.  On March 31, 1995, President Bill Clinton promised the people of Haiti 1,000 km in new roads, 1 million trees and job creation (see: http://ftp.resource.org/gpo.gov/papers/1995/1995_vol1_437.pdf ).  The people of Haiti are still waiting for him to fulfill that 15-year-old promise.  This has led to much skepticism about President Clinton’s high profile position in Haiti, which was brought to light after his appointment as UN Special Envoy last year (see: http://solutionshaiti.blogspot.com/2009/07/former-president-clinton-takes-his.html ).

 

A skeptical young Haitian listening to President Clinton last week

But most importantly, the question remains: Why doesn’t the US use the money to directly fund Haitian institutions (government, civil society, and Diaspora) and place technical advisors within those organizations to monitor the funds and program implementation?  Haitians have serious doubts that the Clinton Global Initiative will use the money to strengthen Haitians and Haitian civil society.  And, they believe that part of the reason that aid has been so ineffective after all these years is because money has not been used to strengthen capacity. See: http://metropolehaiti.com/metropole/full_une_fr.php?id=18364

 

One of the themes that emerged after the earthquake was the complete inability of the Haitian Government to respond to the earthquake and the disarray that the country is in despite $11 billion in aid money that has been poured into the country over the past 25 years.  What happened was that most donors channeled their aid through international NGOs and bypassed the Haitian Government, civil society, Haitian Diaspora and other Haitian institutions.  To be sure, the Haitian Government is rife with corruption, but there are ways to build capacity and fight corruption.  What happened was that many international NGOs built capacity in-house instead of building Haitian capacity.  Furthermore, there was a lack of coordination among aid agencies resulting in redundancy or one-off programs that did little to benefit Haiti in the long term.  If the United States wants to help Haitians and have a real impact with this money, they should change the framework and prioritize investing in bringing skills and capacity to the Haitian people rather merely financing NGOs.

The Florida Elections: A Missed Opportunity for Haitians? By Stanley Lucas

The August 24 Florida primary was an historic opportunity for Haitian-Americans to enter national level politics in the United States.  Representative Kendrick Meeks (D) vacated his Congressional seat in District 17, home to the biggest concentration of Haitian-Americans in the country, to run for the Senate.  Four Haitian-American candidates emerged as candidates for the District 17 Democratic primary.  While their enthusiasm was admirable, several analysts (myself included) warned that if four candidates stood for elections, they would split the Haitian vote, and undermine the chances of a Haitian-American victory.  There were calls for them to come together for the greater good, and coalesce around one candidate with the most support in the Haitian-American community and the best chance to win.  We noted that our countrymen in Haiti needed the Diaspora support more than ever.  Unfortunately, the candidates were unmoved by these calls, and insisted on proceeding with their campaign.  As predicted, Haitian-American candidates cumulatively won the race, but split the vote and squandered this rare opportunity.

 

The division of the Haitian-American vote resulted in the election of a popular African-American candidate, Fredrica Wilson (68).  Frederica won 34.5% of the vote and is expected to win the November election in this strongly Democratic district.  Haitian-American Rudy Moise came in second place with 16.12%, and the three other Haitian-American candidates received 10.21%, 8.45% and 5.99% respectively.  In other words, Haitian-American candidates earned 40.77% of the vote -- enough for a comfortable win.  If there were only one Haitian-American candidate, it is likely s/he would have won by an even larger percentage as we could have consolidated resources and mounted an even strong campaign.

 

Prior to the election, on my blog www.solutionshaiti.blogspot.com  , I conducted four informal polls asking which of the four candidates had the best chance to win.  To be sure, my polls were unscientific; however, they very accurately that Rudy Moise would get the most amount of support in the primary among the four candidates.

 

Unfortunately the dream of having national level representation is now over.  Haitian-Americans only make up a majority of the vote in very few communities and nowhere more prominently than in District 17.  It is incredibly difficult to challenge an incumbent as we also saw last night as the establishment candidates throughout the country beat their challengers even in this atmosphere of “anti-incumbency”. 

 

On the state level, the results were mixed.  Unfortunately Alix Desulme lost in District 108 by a mere 356 votes.  Better turnout would have certainly edged him to victory.  In District 104, John Patrick Julien won with 39.96% -- congratulations to him!

 

So what are the lessons learned from this experience?  If we can get behind one Haitian-American candidate, we have a good chance of winning – and winning handily in areas that are Haitian-American.  We also need to turnout to support Haitian-American candidates.  They often lose by very small margins, as we saw in District 108, while thousands of Haitian-Americans fail to turnout to vote.  Additionally, if we had a truly unified coalition of Haitian Diaspora in the US, this group could be a powerhouse for endorsements and fundraising for Haitian-American candidates.  And finally, we have relearned the lesson of our founding fathers:  “In Unity There is Strength”!

 

On a separate note, the Florida elections remind us about what elections should be:  free and fair.  Unfortunately, our country is now heading into the election season without any hope of free and fair elections.  The huge toll on the electoral infrastructure from the earthquake and the totally partisan composition of the CEP (Provisional Electoral Council) have opened an avenue for President Preval to put in place an electoral coup (for additional information see: http://solutionshaiti.blogspot.com/2010/08/will-us-act-to-promote-free-and-fair.html ).  The Haitian Diaspora can play a huge role in promoting democratic elections by joining with their countrymen in demanding a non-partisan and upstanding CEP to oversee these critical elections.  We can also work together to encourage the United States to hold funding for the elections unless certain changes are made in country, including a reshuffling of the CEP.  These measures would go a long way to promoting democracy and transparency in our country.

Haiti: La Presse INDEPENDANTE Est-elle Moribonde? Par Stanley Lucas

"Je dedie l'article suivant a mes amis Jacques Roche assassine le 10 Juillet 2005 et Wanel fils decede le 12 Janvier"

 

Quel est le role de la presse Haitienne en 2010? Dans quel contexte evolue-t-elle? Quel est son role dans l’organisation d’elections libres, honnetes et democratiques? Quel est le role de la presse Haitienne dans l’analyse du profil et comportement de ceux qui organisent des elections en Haiti? Quel est le role de la presse Haitienne dans l’analyse des candidatures a la presidence, au senat et a la chambre des deputes? La Presse Haitienne est-elle devenue moribonde?

 

Depuis les années 1820, avec Felix Darfour la presse independante Haitienne joue un role majeur dans notre quete de democratie et de developpement economique. Dans les annees 70 avec Gasner Raymond le Petit Samedi Soir etait le porte drapeau de la democratie. Des journalistes de l’hebdomadaire sous la direction de Pierre Clitandre, prenaient des risques enormes pour enqueteR et publier des dossiers sur la corruption, l’etat du pays et la democratie. Comment oublier par la suite, le journal Enquetes d’Ady Jean Gardy et qui apporta au pays un immense espoir democratique à partir de 1986? Au debut des annees 90 ce fut l’emergence de la presse militante, elle contribuera a la defaite des militaires et a l’election de Jean Bertrand Aristide. Ce fut cette meme presse qui fera face a Aristide lorsqu’il prit la route de la repression et de la corruption.

 

Depuis le retour de Rene Preval au pouvoir en 2006 la presse Haitienne affronte cinq grandes difficultes:

 

La premiere difficulte est la nouvelle tactique du pouvoir pour faire de la presse une prolongation du pouvoir d’Etat selon la vision fascite de Mussolini et de Staline. Ceci entraina le sabotage du travail des medias et journalistes independants avec le support de ses creatures qui formeront a sa demande une commission-bidon de journaleux pour noyer le poisson des assassinats commis sous son premier mandat et celui de son marassa Aristide. L’objectif de Preval etait d’empecher l’identification des auteurs intellectuels, des organisateurs de ces assassinats et de mener des dilatoires sans punir personnes. Cette commission formee de politiciens-journalistes, sortis de sa chambre à coucher, recevra des millions de la presidence pour faire “ce travail” de scélérats, sans duper personne non plus. Preval profita de l’occasion pour acheter d’autres journalistes qui avaient grand gout et les mettre a son service. Ils offrirent a Preval ce qu’il attendait: ignorer les auteurs intellectuels et organisateurs de l’assassinat de Brignol Lindor et de Jean Dominique alors que des petits excutants furent punis a l'aide d'une justice expeditive qui ne posait pas de question. Les assassins du journaliste independant Jacques Roche furent tout aussi bien ignorés dans ce processus ou les journalistes de Preval etaient a la fois enqueteurs, policiers, commissaire du gouvernement, juge et porte parole.

 

Preval qui n’a jamais aimé les journalistes fit fermer le Ministere de l’Information, le remplacant par un Ministere de la Culture (musiques, theatre, comedies, vulgaires propagandes de marchands de betises etc ) pour gerer entre autres ses soufreteux des médias d’Etat, dont la plupart se firent inscrire au Parti Unité (connu sous le sobriquet INIQUITE). Plusieurs de ces soi-disant journalistes recrutes par le parti INIQUITE se presenteront comme candidats de l’Inite aux elections legislatives de Fevrier 2010. A cause du tremblement de terre du 12 Janvier ces elections n’ont pas eu lieu et ils se preparent maintenant à recevoir leurs sieges de parlementaires couillons dans le cadre du coup d'etat electoral prepare par le CEP de Gaillot Dorsainvil.

 

La seconde tactique utilisee était de jeter le discredit sur les medias qui ne repetaient pas leur propagande. Radio Kiskeya a ete leur cible pendant un moment et a su resister. Radio Signal a prefere reculer un peu avant de repartir au combat. Apres l’echec de l’application de la politique de la carotte pourrie (corruption) aupres de certains journalistes qui persistaient a rester independants le pouvoir changeait de tactique et passa aux menaces d’elimination physique et la violence. C’est ce qui est arrive dans le cas d’Euvrard Saint Amand, le journaliste qui animait l’emission Intersection sur radio Caraibe qui a du laisser le pays et vivre en exil. Les journalistes Corvington de radio Galaxie et Carlasse de radio RCH 2000 vivent les menaces chaque jour.

 

La troisieme tactique a été de prendre en main adroitement l’Association Nationale des Proprietaires de Medias (ANMH) avec de nouveaux dirigeants qui defendent le pouvoir a tous les coups, meme quand des directeurs de medias sont la cible d’assassins tels le Directeur de Radio Caraibe (Moussignac) qui a failli etre assassiné et que le President de l’ANMH envoya sur les épines en affirmant qu’il avait subi un attentat non en sa qualite de Directeur de Media mais en sa qualite d’entrepreneur. Pourtant quand un autre directeur de radio de la capitale a failli etre kidnapé le traitement de l'affaire par l'ANMH a ete different. Pourquoi 2 poids deux mesures ? Parce que Moussignac ne fait pas partie du Groupe de Bourdon (secteur economique rapace au service du pouvoir)? Ne faudrait-il pas interviewer un journaliste independant comme Pierre Manigat pour comprendre?

 

L’ANMH n’est plus pour pour l’independance de la presse. Elle est formée de deux groupes: un secteur proche de Preval, desabillé completement devant lui. Un autre qui comprend des membres ou proches du Groupe de Bourdon. Le Groupe de Bourdon est un cartel corrompu des affaires qui detient l’ensemble des monopoles d’Haiti et controle les secteurs financier et bancaire grace a leur proximite du pouvoir. Les proches de Preval on une influence sur qui devient redacteur en chef des salles des nouvelles et les reportages qui arrivent au micro. Ils ont fait balayer une grande partie des journalistes independants. Le Groupe de Bourdon a deux impacts sur ces medias. Le premier c’est que la plupart des proprietaires de medias au sein de l’ANMH pretent de l’argent de la grande banque INITE BANK qui appartient au Groupe de Bourdon. Ces prets deviennent un levier de pression sur la salle des nouvelles. En plus le groupe de bourdon a travers la publicite fait pression sur les medias et souvent joue une role determinant sur les histoires a couvrir, les invites a ignorer ou a inviter. Nombreux sont les journalistes qui ne seraient pas au chomage aujourd’hui s’ils avaient acceptes de se laisser remplir la gorge de ces carottes pourries et s’ils avaient mis leurs personnalités dans leurs chaussettes.

 

La quatrieme tactique est venue de la MINUSTAH avec les gros moyens disponibles a recrute un bon nombre de journalistes Haitiens faire fonctionner leur radio et leur section communications sour la direction de quelques etrangers. L’objectif est de contrer la presse locale et avancer leur agenda d’occupants. Dans le cadre de cette propagande politique les moyens sont aussi utilises pour “la formation” et donner de “l’assistance” aux journalistes Haitiens qui travaillent dans les medias indepedants. En suivant la radio des Nations Unies en Haiti on se rendra compte que depuis quelques mois les leaders Haitiens qui critiquent la mission ne font plus partie de leur programmation. Ils sont en train de “faire repeter” a la presse Haitienne ce qu’ils veulent leur faire repeter : elections, elections , elections magouilles ou non, en passant du beurre sur le candidat de Preval,  Jude Celestin.

 

Enfin la cinquieme tactique est l’utilisation de mercenaires de la presse internationale comme aux temps de Baby Doc, dont 4 « journalustres » dans des quotidiens americains deux journalistes Haitiano-americains en Floride, un a New York et un autre a Washington. Ces journalustes sont payes jouent un role de lobbystes informels. Leurs analyses en general sont des histoires preparees ou proposees par les conseillers de Rene Preval et du Groupe de Bourdon. Leur role comme journalustres payes et aux ordres de Preval est de faire avancer a travers des publications l’agenda de Preval et du groupe de bourdon. Ils ne font que lustrer la vitrine. Leurs informations tronquées publiees a partir de l’etranger sont ensuite relayees par les journalistes de Preval et du Groupe de Bourdon en Haiti.

 

Les journalistes independants en Haiti sont seuls dans cette jungle, a part quelques fois des rapports de solidarite venant de Medecins Sans Frontieres (RSF), de la Commission Interamericaine des Droits Humains quand ils sont menaces et de la Federation de la Presse Haitienne (FPH) qui documentent ce qui se passe jour apres jour et travaillent efficacement avec des organisations sœurs contre le desordre interne sans faire sonner les trompettes .

 

Avec cette situation, il est difficile aux journalistes independants, noyés dans la melee, d’ expliquer a la population de facon plus approfondie pourquoi les membres du Conseil Electoral Provisoire corrompue et des BEC sont des domestiques partisans du regime qui prevaut avec Preval. Les journalistes independants dans les salles de nouvelles sont sous pressions des directeurs des salles des nouvelles qui eux recoivent des pression des president proprietaires. C’est ce qui explique l’absence d’analyse sur seize candidats qui legalement auraient du etres disqualifies.

 

Tout le monde a peur et Ils sont rares les journalistes militants qui continuent de resister. Ces journalistes Haitiens sont des heros. Ce sont pour la plupart des jeunes qui pour un salaire derisoire prennent de grands risques dans ce metier honorable. Ils sont des fois battus, maltraites et exiles quand on n’a pas le temps de les tuer.

 

Le journaliste Haitien doit seul faire face a la violence politique du pouvoir et la violence economique du Groupe de Bourdon. Etre journaliste en Haiti est diffcile, c’est un métier ingrat. Je dois presenter ma medaille d’honneur aux journalistes Daly Valet, Jean Monard, Clarens Renoua, Lesly Jacques, Rotchild Francois Junior, Herold Emmanuel, Euvrard Saint Amand, Metellus, Pierre Manigat, Ady Jean Gardy, Lilliane Pierre Paul, Franck Charlot, Freo Lamonge, Charles Harrison Ernest, Lavaud Fevry, Saint Juste, Hebda Abdallah, Dieudonne Federme, Michel Soukar, Robert Benodin, Harry Joseph, Yves Clausel Alexis, Paul Ignace Janvier, Vasthie Desir, Luko Jasmin, Alex Saint Surin etc...et les autres noms que j'ai oublie. Ici en Haiti ou en exil, ils continuent de se battre et que Preval le veuille ou non leur lumiere si vivante et si forte vaincra un jour les tenebres que son regime de mort a jeté sur le pays…

Haiti Earthquake: Seven months and counting …by Stanley Lucas

The shock and outrage at the lack of progress in Haiti seven months after the tragic earthquake that killed almost 300,000 people has unfortunately not translated into an uptick in action on the ground.  Still 2 million people sleeping in the streets, and there is no comprehensive plan to address this critical housing issue.  There have been increased efforts to get new tents and more regularly provide food, but today is no seven months.  Shouldn’t we have moved to the longer term planning by this point?  Where is all the money?  After all the attention to the fact that only 10% of the promised aid money being delivered, there is no progress is collecting those funds?  Where did the US$1.1 billion in private donation from the US go?

 

Some Presidential candidates took advantage of the press bounce from the six month coverage to announce their candidacy, but little coverage has been given to anyone other than Wyclef Jean.  The type of worldwide press coverage that his candidacy received does not come cheap; it is the big powerhouse public relations firms that can pull off that type of a media blitz.  There are at least three other Haitian Diaspora candidates that have announced and they do not have personal and professional misconduct.  Has anyone heard of them? 

 

Furthermore, Haitians are beginning to raise questions about whether or not humanitarian aid is quietly being used to promote the candidacy of one person over another.  Haiti has real issues to tackle, and there is a critical lack of coordination and big thinking to address those problems.

 

The biggest short term challenge is, of course, housing.  More than 500,000 people lost their homes in the earthquake.  Without their house, they are not only consigned to living in one of the 1,350 makeshift tent cities, but they have now lost any access to credit.  It is impossible to imagine how these people will ever pull themselves up out of this situation when there is absolutely no opportunity for them. 

 

Rather than continuing along with this patchwork of aid programs, the most beneficial path forward would be to establish a Haitian Housing Authority.  The Authority could essentially operate as a public private partnership with the participation of the World Bank, IADB, international governments, and even other NGOs that have received so much of the aid money.  This money would be a fund that Haitians who lost their homes could apply for low interest loans to build new houses, or essentially 30 year fixed mortgages at low interest.  This accomplishes many goals:  kick starts the economy because people now have access to credit and there will be construction projects; gets the money directly to the people who need it; and eliminates the challenges with working with a corrupt Haitian government.  A good system could be set up to vet applicants to ensure that the money is going to the victims of the earthquake.  There is even the possibility that there could be a return on investment here and that those funds could be used to do other key projects in Haiti on infrastructure and addressing healthcare and education.  In other words, this would be sustainable development.

 

What we can be certain about is that the current approach in Haiti is woefully inadequate and is in no way sustainable. And rather than address any of this, it seems the focus is now shifting toward elections which the country is not ready for and has the very real possibility of plunging Haiti into further chaos. 

 

Haitians do not want to be idling away their days in abysmal camps and model villages.  They need work.  They need hope.  And they need a vision for the future.  Right now, there are working toward nothing, abandoned and forgotten as NGOs toil away to address the critical issues in an ad hoc way. 

Six Months Later - August 2010 by www.haitiaidwatchdog.org

http://www.digitalturf.net/haiti/reports.cfm?ID=9

The earthquake of January 12, 2010 caused unprecedented destruction of human and physical capital, with losses estimated at 120 percent of Haiti’s 2009 GNP. Without support from the relief agencies, particularly those of the international community , the situation would be worse.

During the first few months, the support of the international community on the ground was visible. Six months later, the massive distribution networks, field hospitals and mobile clinics, set up primarily by the international community, have disappeared. The population is still living in makeshift camps. Living conditions under the tents are extremely difficult and they do not meet international standards for humanitarian relief. Now, many citizens are experiencing forced evictions particularly from camps located on private land, which have resulted in an increase in the number of Internally Displace persons (IDPs) in public squares and streets of the capital and other cities and towns significantly affected by the earthquake.

Meanwhile, reports from International humanitarian relief organizations suggest that they have donated 1.1 Billion US dollars to Haiti to date.

Since March 2010, the Haiti Aid Watchdog (hereinafter referred to as the “Watchdog”) has monitored and evaluated the type, quality and frequency of the aid provided. Whether the $1.1 billion donated by citizens from around the world has had a significant impact on the Haitian IDP’s remains the essential question for the Watchdog. Further, whether the Haitian Government has significantly developed its capacity during the last 6 months to oversee this relief effort is a major concern as well.

According to RNDDH report, Eight (8) properties totaling one hundred fifty (150) acres of land have been requisitioned by the Haitian State to relocate the victims. To date, five thousand (5,000) persons representing approximately 3.8% of IDPs have been relocated to the site of Coral Cesselesse . The majority of the Internal Displace Persons lack food, medical assistance, and sanitation. The lack of electricity on the camps at night provides cover for a substantial increased of sexual abuse. In addition, the threat of two dozen hurricanes scheduled for the summer is making the situation very complicated.

The Inter-Agency Standing Committee in its report six months after the earthquake mentioned that 11,000 latrines have been distributed and 1 million people have benefited from Cash- for – Work programs However, specific details are lacking regarding where these distributions were made and which portion of the population benefited from this assistance.

.

In its March 2010 report, the watchdog presented a list of international relief organizations who at that time had still not presented a report, some 60 days after the earthquake. Looking back, over the last six months, the watchdog has become very concerned with the lack of transparency that most international organizations have shown.

The Monitoring Process

The assessment conducted in July 2010 also involved the review of reviewed 10 websites of international organizations that have collected more than 10 millions dollar for Haiti. The assessment focused on the availability and accessibility of accomplishment reports provided by the relief agencies. [In addition to consulting Websites, theWatchdog visited several camps in and outside of Port au Prince.

FINDINGS
In May 2010, The Chronicle Philantrophy published an updated list1 of 55 international organizations that received money for Haiti. Out of this list of 55 organizations organizations, the Watchdog focused on 18 organizations that collected more than 10 million dollars of relief funds for Haiti.



List of 18 Organizations that raised more than 10 million dollars in relief funds for Haiti

1• American Red Cross had raised approximately $444-million as of May 6, including $6-million from the Hope for Haiti telethon. More than $32-million was pledged to the Red Cross via text message.

2• AmeriCares had raised more than $15-million as of May 10.

3.• CARE USA had raised approximately $17.75-million as of May 7.

4• Catholic Relief Services had raised $135.7-million as of May 10.

5 The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund had raised more than $37-million as of March 16.

6• The William J. Clinton Foundation had received more than $14.5-million as of March 16.

7• The Doctors Without Borders U.S. operations had raised $61.1-million international affiliates have raised $124-million.

8• Habitat for Humanity had raised $11.5-million as of May 10.

9• Mercy Corps had received $14.6-million as of May 7.

10• Operation USA had raised $1.4 in cash as of May 7. It has also received $5.7-million in donations of products.

11• Oxfam America had received $23.2-million as of May 10, $8-million of which came from

the Hope for Haiti Now telethon. Internationally, Oxfam has raised more than $100-million.

12• Partners in Health had received more than $70-million as of May 11, including $8-million

13• Plan USA had raised more than $2-million as of May 10. The group’s international affiliates had

raised $32.6-million.

14• The Salvation Army had raised $20.5-million as of May 10

15• Save the Children USA had raised more than $25-million as of May 10.

As of March, the organization’s international affiliates had raised an additional $35.1-million

16• The United Methodist Committee on Relief had raised $14.5-million as of March 11

from the Hope for Haiti Now telethon

17• World Vision’s U.S. operations had received more than $41-million as of May 7.

Internationally, the organization has raised more than $103-million.
18• Yele Haiti Foundation has received more than $16-million, which includes $1-million

from the Hope for Haiti Now telethon, as of May 11.
Source Chronicle of Philantropy

Out of the 18 organizations identified that had received relief funds for Haiti of 10 million dollars or more, the Watchdog reviewed 10 of these organizations’ websites , which revealed that the 10 organizations received the following relief funding for Haiti:

Catholic Relief Services- $135 million
Partner in Health- $ 70 million
Save the Children- $71.4 million
Doctors without Borders- $61 million
World Vision- $41 million
Oxfam America -$23. 2 million
Salvation Army- $20 million
Americares- 15 million
Mercy Corps- $14.6 million
Habitat for Humanity -$11.5 million

The Watchdog found that the websites provided very limited information concerning the funding that theses organizations had received and what was done with such resources. In other words, key information concerning , the number sites, number of people served by sites, the cost related to each by sites serviced is not available. Indeed, the Information that is available is incomplete and lacks sufficient detail thus rendering those reports almost useless to a stakeholder.

The Watchdog applauds Partner in Health, the Jewish Committee Distribution, Doctor Without Borders, Handicap international and Mercy Corps for providing detail financial and programmatic reports. The majority of international NGOs do not provide detail information which substantially limit the monitoring of the impact of international relief effort in Haiti.
However, the Watchdog is concerned regarding the lack of transparency and incoherence that is reflected in the reports submitted six months after the earthquake by various international organizations. The majority of the 18 organizations closely monitored by the Watchdog do not mention how much money was spent per type of activity and do not mention the geographical areas assisted. Moreover, the information provided in these organizations’ reports (six months after the earthquake) are not consistent with the findings on the ground. For example, some organizations claim that they have spent maillion so dollars on shelter for the IDPs. However, the watchdog has not been able to confirm the shelters to which the reports refer, and certainly not 19 million dollars worth of shelter anywhere in Port-au-Prince or other areas that have been mostly affected by the earthquake.

The watchdog has been informed that an estimated 125,000 transitional shelters are expected to be distributed and implanted in Haiti. However, to date, we do not know when these shelters will be provided or where they will be distributed. Indeed, the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration (NOAA) has predicted that Haiti should expect a very active hurricane season this summer. However, with the slow pace of the distribution of this transitional shelter, the Watchdog is very concerned that lives may be lost or put in peril when hurricanes arrive and touch the areas where the camps are located, as said camps will inevitably become flooded.

The Watchdog encourages the Government of Haiti to play a more active role overseeing the impact of the assistance. Six months after the earthquake, there is a substantial coordination deficit of leadership from humanitarian community and the Government of Haiti. There is a need for all stakeholders to engage in a constructive dialogue.

The Watchdog has, on its own initiative, engaged the government through the government’s Ministry of Plan in order to explore ways that civil society organizations such as the Watchdog could play a more significant role in the monitoring and coordination of the humanitarian effort. Through our meetings with officials of the Ministry of Plan, we learned that several international NGOs operating in the country have not provided any report to the Ministry of Plan. Some humanitarian organizations have not officially registered with the Ministry and are not respecting the procedures although the Ministry has organized several meetings and briefing sessions to the international partners.


Recommendations
The international NGOs working on relief and reconstruction in Haiti must provide detailed information on:
Allocation of funds by activities and locations
List all local partners and their accomplishments
Number of beneficiaries targeted and reached
Lessons learned and obstacles on the ground
Corrective actions to address deficiencies in each area.

b) Inform the general public of locations of operations and the type of services offered in a specific area (s) or in the sites with more than 5,000 people. It would be very helpful for the public to see, in the following major sites, items such as stickers, flags, banners and billboards of the international partners working in the particular site: Terrain de Accra, Champ de mars, St Louis de Gonzague, both terrain de golf, turgeau, Canape vert, Place St Pierre, Place de la Paix, Impasse Morond, Centre de Carrefour, Terrain de Amurtel, Ancien aéroport militaire…

c) The Watchdog Group encourages the international partners to organize periodic briefing sessions with civil society organizations and government officials. If information is provided to the Haitian media and other civil society organizations, it would help the public understands better what is being developed and how it is being distributed and accounted for. 7 months after the earthquake, it is time for the people of Haiti to be informed about which organizations are working on the ground?; where are they working?; and what are they doing?; How many Haitians are being hired by the international organizations? What impact the programs have in the IDP camps .What are these organizations’ plans during the hurricane season as it relates to assistance to the IDP camps? It may be helpful if a map could be distributed to all civil society organizations and to the press identifying which organizations are working in specific areas of the country.



ANNEX #1

UPDATED LIST OF ORGANIZATIONS THAT COLLECTED HUMANITARIAN RELIEF FUNDS FOR HAITI

AS OF

MAY 11, 2010


1• ActionAid has raised more than $419,000 as of March 2.
•2 Action Against Hunger International has raised more than $7-million globally as of May 10.
• 3Adventist Development and Relief Agency had raised $6.9-million as of May 11.
4• The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee had raised more than $6.1-million as of March 16.
5• American Jewish World Service had raised more than $5.7-million as of May 10 for its
Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund.


6• American Red Cross had raised approximately $444-million.
7• AmeriCares had raised more than $15-million as of May 10.
8• Brother’s Brother Foundation had raised $725,000, and secured a pledge of $100,000, as of May 10.
9• CARE USA had raised approximately $17.75-million as of May 7.
10• Catholic Medical Mission Board had raised $1.92-million in cash
11• Catholic Relief Services had raised $135.7-million as of May 10.
12• ChildFund International had raised $450,767 as of February 16.
13• Church World Service had raised $3.2-million as of May 10.
•14 The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund had raised more than $37-million as of March 16.
15• The William J. Clinton Foundation had received more than $14.5-million
16• Concern Worldwide US had raised $3.2-million as of May 10.
17• Cross International had raised $4.6-million as of March 16.
18• Direct Relief International had raised $6.1-million in cash through the end of April.
18• The Doctors Without Borders U.S. operations had raised $61.1-million
20• Feed the Children had raised $1-million as of May 7.
21• Fonkoze USA had raised $1.26-million as of May 10.
22• Friends of the World Food Program had raised $13.1-million, including $6-million fMay 10.
23• Habitat for Humanity had raised $11.5-million as of May 10.
24• Handicap International’s U.S. operations had raised $431,000 as of May 10.
25• Heifer International had raised $1.4-million as of May 10.
26• The Humane Society has raised more than $1-million.
27• IMA World Health has raised more than $291,000 as of May 7.
28• International Medical Corps had raised more than $6-million as of May 7.
29• International Relief and Development has raised $345,000 in cash as of May 11. It has also
received $12.5-million in gifts of products and supplies.
30• The International Rescue Committee had raised $6.6-million as of May 10.
31• Internews Network, a nonprofit group that promotes journalism abroad, received $200,000 from
the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
32• Islamic Relief USA had raised more than $2.1-million as of March 2.
33• The Lions Clubs International Foundation had raised $4.7-million as of May 13.
34• Lutheran World Relief had raised nearly $6.5-million as of May 7.
35• Medical Teams International had raised $4.5-million as of May 10.
36• Mennonite Central Committee had raised $5.18-million and raised another $8.1-million in Canada.
37• Mercy Corps had received $14.6-million as of May 7.
38• Operation USA had raised $1.4 in cash as of May 7. It has also received $5.7-million in donations of products.
39• Oxfam America had received $23.2-million as of May 10, $8-million of which came from the
Hope for Haiti Now telethon. Internationally, Oxfam has raised more than $100-million.
40• The Pan American Development Foundation had raised more than $1.61-million as of February 23.
41• Partners in Health had received more than $70-million as of May 11, including $8-million
from the Hope for Haiti Now telethon.
42• Plan USA had raised more than $2-million as of May 10. The group’s international affiliates
had raised $32.6-million.
43• Population Services International had raised more than $174,000 as of May 10.
44• Project HOPE had raised $1.7-million in cash and pledges as of May 10. It has
distributed $35-million in medical supplies.
45• Relief International had raised more than $533,000 as of May 10.
46• The Salvation Army had raised $20.5-million as of May 10.
47• Save the Children USA had raised more than $25-million as of May 10. As of March, the
organization’s international affiliates had raised an additional $35.1-million.
48• The U.N. Foundation had raised more than $3.9-million as of May 11.
49• The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee had raised more than $1.84-million .
50• United Way has raised more than $3.2-million as of May 13.
51• The United Methodist Committee on Relief had raised $14.5-million as of March 11.
52• The University of Miami had received $4.4-million as of March 2.
53• The U.S. Fund for Unicef had received $65.4-million in cash.
54• World Vision’s U.S. operations had received more than $41-million as of May 7. Internationally,
the organization has raised more than $103-million.
55• Yele Haiti Foundation has received more than $16-million, which includes $1-million from
the Hope for Haiti Now telethon, as of May 11.

SOURCE; THE CHRONICLE OF PHILANTHROPY MAY 2010 REPORT

Link; http://philanthropy.com/article/11-Billion-Donated-for-Haiti/65479

Donors Eliminate Haiti’s Debt to International Financial Institutions

U.S. Department of Treasury: United States, Other Donors Eliminate Haiti’s Debt to International Financial Institutions

Achievement of Debt Relief by International Partners Among Swiftest in History

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of the Treasury today announced that the United States, the International Financial Institutions (IFIs), and other donors have together reached the goal of eliminating the total debt stock that Haiti owed to the IFIs at the time of the January earthquake. Today's announcement comes just six months after Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner stated his intention to work closely with partners around the world to relieve Haiti's debt. This achievement is among the fastest complete IFI debt reductions in history.

"With President Obama's signing of the FY 10 Supplemental Appropriations Act, Haiti can take another important step forward on the path to rebuilding," said Secretary Geithner. "We are proud to stand together with our international partners at the forefront of this decisive response."

Treasury also noted the key support of the U.S. Congress, which passed the FY 10 Supplemental Appropriations Act, providing the Administration with a contribution of up to $248 million towards an international agreement to cancel Haiti's debt at the multilateral development institutions. In addition, Secretary Geithner praised the multilateral development institutions for structuring debt relief in a manner that would unlock $318 million in grant funding for Haiti.

"This innovative proposal not only achieved full cancellation of debt, but also increased resources available for Haiti's recovery over the near and long term," Secretary Geithner continued. The additional funding can be used to support Haiti's recovery by financing such activities as the building of schools, restoration of basic services, and boosting of agriculture and employment programs.

In particular, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), as part of the debt relief agreement, will make available $295 million in new grant flows to Haiti. Similarly, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) will convert $23 million in loans to grants.

For its part, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) took the unprecedented step of creating a new facility, the Post-Catastrophe Debt Reduction (PCDR) Trust, to join international debt relief efforts for Haiti as well as to help very poor countries hit by catastrophic natural disasters in the future. The IMF fully financed the PCDR Trust using internal IMF resources.

When the earthquake struck, Haiti owed $447 million to the IDB, $51 million to IFAD, $39 million to the International Development Association (IDA), and $158 million to the IMF. On April 23, IFAD's executive directors approved a 100 percent debt relief package for Haiti.[1] On May 28, the World Bank announced the cancellation of Haiti's IDA debt.[2] On July 21, the IMF cancelled Haiti's $268 million in outstanding debt to the IMF, including the $110 million emergency loan approved immediately after the earthquake.[3] With the U.S. contribution to the IDB, the Treasury-led effort to eliminate the entirety of Haiti's pre-earthquake debt obligations to the IFIs will be fully achieved.

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IFAD Executive Board approves debt relief for Haiti

Agreement sets up US$50 million debt relief programme for outstanding debt

Rome, 23 April 2010 – Things are looking up for the people of Haiti with the Executive Board of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) approving a debt-relief package for the disaster-stricken nation in its meeting this week.

“The agreement provides the basis for permanent debt forgiveness of Haiti’s debt burden to our organization,” said Kanayo F. Nwanze, IFAD President. “Without this type of relief, Haiti would have been hard pressed to repay its outstanding loans to the organization, to the detriment of the critical reconstruction and development activities. With the generous contributions from our members – plus a significant investment on our part – we are breaking that cycle.”

The net present value of Haiti’s debt to IFAD is US$50.7 million. Under the agreement, IFAD ― an international financial institution and a specialized United Nations agency dedicated to eradicating poverty and hunger in rural areas of developing countries ― will contribute up to 30 per cent of the debt relief requirement, with member states needing to contribute the remaining 70 per cent.

“A small portion of Haiti’s debt was already forgiven by organizations like IFAD under the Highly Indebted Poor Countries Debt Initiative, but the bulk remained,” said Josefina Stubbs, Director of IFAD’s Latin America and the Caribbean Division. “By relieving the country of this burden, we are freeing up funds for redevelopment and reconstruction.”

The process of reconstruction and development in Haiti has already begun. IFAD responded rapidly to the January earthquake with a $2.5 million grant for irrigation and watershed rehabilitation in a project that is expected to benefit some 12,000 households in rural areas directly affected by the earthquake.

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Press release No.: IFAD/29/2010

World Bank Announces Total Cancellation of Haiti’s Debt
	Available in: العربية, Español, Français
Press Release No:2010/439/LCR/CFP
Contacts: In Washington: Sergio Jellinek (202) 458-2841 sjellinek@worldbank.org Angela Furtado (202) 473-1909 afurtado@worldbank.org WASHINGTON, May 28, 2010 -- The World Bank today announced that the remaining US$36 million of debt owed by Haiti to the International Development Association (IDA), the Bank’s fund for the poorest countries, has been cancelled. Haiti now has no further amounts payable to the World Bank. “Relieving Haiti’s remaining debt is part of our effort to pursue every avenue to help Haiti’s reconstruction efforts,” said World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick. “We will continue to work in close cooperation with the Haitian government and our international partners to support the country’s recovery and longer-term development.” This cancellation by the World Bank of Haiti’s debt to IDA was made possible by contributions from Belgium, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. Since the earthquake that struck Haiti in January this year, the World Bank has made available US$479 million in grants to support Haiti’s recovery and development through June 2011. It is also the trustee as well as a partner working to support Haiti’s reconstruction and development through the multi-donor Haiti Reconstruction Fund, to which Brazil became the first country to contribute earlier this month. In July 2009, Haiti won $1.2 billion in debt relief from the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and other creditors. -#-

IMF Executive Board Cancels Haiti’s Debt and Approves New Three-Year Program to Support Reconstruction and Economic Growth

Press Release No. 10/299
July 21, 2010

The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) today approved the full cancellation of Haiti’s outstanding liabilities to the Fund, of about SDR 178 million (equivalent to US$268 million). The Board also approved a new three-year arrangement for Haiti under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) requested by the authorities to support the country’s reconstruction and growth program.

Both decisions form part of a broad strategy to support Haiti’s longer term reconstruction plans, following the devastating earthquake of January 12, 2010. The cancellation of existing debt was advocated by IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn in the days following the disaster as part of a concerted international effort to launch a “Marshall Plan” for the reconstruction of the country. The new program provides a strong and forward-looking framework to support economic stability and reconstruction in the country, and will also help catalyze donors’ contributions.

“Donors must start delivering on their promises to Haiti quickly,” Mr. Strauss-Kahn said, “so reconstruction can be accelerated, living standards quickly improved, and social tensions soothed.” At a high-level donors' conference in March, the international community pledged US$ 9.9 billion to Haiti’s reconstruction, of which US$ 5.3 billion is to be disbursed over the next 18 months.

Resources freed by IMF debt relief will help Haiti to meet substantial balance-of-payments needs exacerbated by the earthquake. The debt relief is financed by the Post-Catastrophe Debt Relief (PCDR) Trust Fund, recently established by the Fund to help very poor countries hit by catastrophic natural disasters (see attached factsheet).

The new ECF arrangement will provide SDR 40.9 million (about US$ 60 million) over three years to boost Haiti’s international reserves and help the central bank manage potential swings in the value of the local currency - important to avoid raises in the prices of basic commodities consumed by the poor - without adding to the country’s net debt. Financing under the ECF carries a zero interest rate until end-2011 and thereafter zero to 0.5 percent, with a maturity of 10 years and a grace period of 5½ years. The temporary interest waiver is part of the package that was approved in July 2009 to support the IMF’s lending to low-income countries, financed from the IMF’s internal resources, including the use of resources linked to the gold sales, and through bilateral contributions (see Factsheet “Financing the Fund’s Concessional Lending to Low-Income Countries”). The new program also includes important policy commitments from the authorities that will help protect macroeconomic stability, and strengthen fiscal governance.

“The new program will provide a coherent macroeconomic framework to support the implementation of our Action Plan and ensure efficient spending and absorption of aid inflows,” Haiti’s Minister of Economy and Finance Ronald Baudin said.

Technical Assistance

The IMF will also provide a comprehensive medium-term technical assistance program aimed at strengthening state institutions, concentrating in the areas of tax policies, revenue administration, budget preparation and execution, and helping the country in organizing its first ever issuance of government securities.

“Improving the business environment and fostering private credit and investment will be essential to support growth,” Charles Castel, Governor of the Bank of the Republic of Haiti said. “The Fund’s technical assistance will help rebuild economic institutions and build capacity.”

Following the Executive Board discussion on Haiti, Mr. Naoyuki Shinohara Deputy Managing Director and Acting Chair, issued the following statement:

“The January 2010 earthquake was devastating for Haiti, after several years of progress in maintaining economic stability, resuming growth, and implementing essential reforms. The authorities are to be commended for good policy implementation in the six-month period since the earthquake, in spite of limited financial resources and weakened capacity.

“Haiti meets the eligibility and qualification conditions for debt stock relief under the PCDR Trust Fund. Resources freed by debt stock relief under the PCDR Trust Fund are critical to meeting the large and protracted balance-of-payments needs exacerbated by the earthquake and subsequent recovery efforts, and to placing Haiti's debt on a sustainable path. Debt relief from the Fund is part of a concerted international effort to cancel Haiti's remaining debt after the earthquake.

“The newly approved ECF-supported arrangement provides a coherent macroeconomic framework to support the authorities' reconstruction and growth objectives. The macroeconomic outlook, and implementation of the authorities' reconstruction plan, depends crucially on the timely disbursement of the large donor pledges. Furthermore, improvements in infrastructure and the business environment will be essential to raise medium-term growth, by attracting private investment and expanding the export base. The establishment of a partial credit guarantee fund will help restart private sector credit

“The Fund-supported program aims at smoothing the impact on the economy of large expected aid flows, projected to triple to about 15 percent of GDP over in the next 3 years. Fiscal objectives are to raise domestic revenue, align the budget and its financing with reconstruction priorities, and continue strengthening fiscal governance. Monetary and exchange rate policies will be upgraded to facilitate the absorption of aid inflows, while avoiding large swings in the exchange rate and keeping inflation under control The program is supported by a comprehensive medium term technical assistance strategy, coordinated with Haiti's development partners.”

ANNEX

Recent Economic Developments

The earthquake of January 12, 2010 caused unprecedented destruction of human and physical capital, with losses estimated at 120 percent of 2009 GDP. The disaster struck the country at a time when its outlook was improving after several years of prudent macroeconomic management. In 2009, Haiti’s growth reached almost 3 percent, the second-fastest rate in the Western Hemisphere.

A still fragile recovery is taking place after the earthquake. Agricultural production, construction and textile manufacturing are supporting economic activity, while remittances, which grew by 12 percent between January and May of 2010 (over the previous year), are supporting consumption and imports. Exports are recovering, although the trade deficit is still widening.

Main Program Objectives

The program is focused on macroeconomic policies that can support growth and the Haitian authorities’ reconstruction plan, as well as help manage the aid inflows. It includes improving the efficiency and transparency of spending, increasing revenues, modernizing monetary and exchange rate operations, and enhancing credit growth.

Growth: GDP is projected to expand by 9 percent in fiscal year 2011-12, due mostly to reconstruction activity, and 6 percent by 2015.

Inflation: expected to reach 8.5 percent in the current fiscal year and to decline to 7 percent by 2013.

Fiscal strategy: to boost revenue collection to 13 percent of GDP by 2013, from 10% percent currently. The authorities’ objective is to enhance the quality and effectiveness of reconstruction spending and rebuild a more modern and efficient tax administration.

Monetary policy: the program aims at building a sustainable external position while absorbing the reconstruction-related foreign exchange flows. To enhance the effectiveness of monetary policy, further steps will be taken to improve the Bank of the Republic of Haiti’s independence. The authorities also aim at gradually developing a market for government securities.

Haiti Earthquake: Starting to Think Through Reconstruction Options by Stanley Lucas

While it is difficult to even begin to think of reconstruction amidst all the tragedy and suffering in Haiti, the magnitude of the devastation makes it necessary for us to begin to put together the outlines of a plan.  The process will be long-term.  By many estimates it could take 4-5 years to return to just the level of development that Haiti had prior to the earthquake. 

Short Term U.S. Policy Incentives: 

In the short term, there are several US policy efforts that would have an immediate impact, including: 

• Grant TPS (Temporary Protected Status):  The Obama Administration acted quickly to halt deportations of Haitians and has now extended TPS which allows the undocumented to stay in the U.S. and obtain work permits, which is key.

• Tax incentives for donations:  The U.S. Congress is working to introduce legislation to allow people to deduct their contributions to Haiti on their 2009 taxes instead of waiting until 2010. 

• Tax incentives for Diaspora remittances:  Haitian Diaspora send about $x a year to family and friends in-country.  This is a significant source of income for most Haitian families.  The U.S. Congress could consider granting tax deductions for Haitian-Americans providing funds to their family overseas.  Allowing deductions for up to $10,000 in remittances over the next five years would go a long way to allowing Haitian-Americans contribute to recovery and reconstruction.

• Extending the Hope Legislation

A Framework for Public Private Partnerships (PPP) 

In the longer term, it will be necessary to set up a public-private partnership (PPP) such as what was done in the wake of the Chinese earthquake in 2008.  Building on the PPP concept, we could explore creating a Global Haiti Reconstruction Fund.  The U.S. and Haitian Government could partner to attract significant investors, such as Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, Ted Turner, Rupert Murdoch and others to be anchor investors in the fund.  Additionally, the U.S. could match funds up to a certain level. 

Clearly for the PPP to be successful, we will need to attract corporate support as well.  Several companies, such as Johnson & Johnson, Chevron, Merck, Cisco, and others contributed generously to specific reconstruction goals in China.  The U.S. government should develop incentives for these companies to become real partners in reconstruction.  This is a significant challenge and companies will obviously need more incentives than in the China case because Haiti lacks the market opportunities that China offers. 

A Reconstruction Plan  

The Haitian Government should collaborate with Haitian-American elected officials to convene a summit to discuss how to rebuild Haiti.   Ideally this Summit would convene in perhaps two months time.  It should be inclusive of NGOs, economists, disaster recovery experts, international governments, international organizations (World Bank, IDB, IMF, etc) and Haitian Diaspora.  The Haitian Government needs to step up and lead this effort.   

We must take initiative for rebuilding our country in the way that Haitians want; rather than, in our moment of greatest weakness, accepting international views of what Haiti should be. 

Above all, reconstruction absolutely must be transparent.  Countless times during the earthquake coverage, I have heard again and again that the international community has poured billions of dollars into Haiti and there is nothing to show for it.  This absolutely cannot continue.  We have no choice but to get this reconstruction right and to do that it must be free of corruption and open.  There must be simple, open bidding processes.  Contract must be awarded on pre-defined and fair criteria.  There is zero tolerance left for the old, corrupt ways of doing business in Haiti. 

In my opinion, the Prime Minister would be an ideal leader for such an initiative.   Through a summit of this type, we could develop a solid, future looking plan for Haiti.  The plan should have specific goals, benchmarks and clearly defined, transparent processes to achieve those goals. 

Many observers have pointed out that Haiti has the resources to be a tourist destination.  It has enough sun to really implement solar technologies.  There are opportunities to rebuild stronger than before.  But none of this will happen with a continued culture of corruption.  This is a chance to break free of this failed-state legacy and show the world who we really are:  a strong, proud, resilient and resourceful people who can rebuild from the rubble a vibrant, developing country.

How to Apply for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in the U.S.

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Undocumented Haitians in the United States can now apply for Temporary Protected Status (TPS).  Please see our Haiti - Temporary Protected Status (TPS) page for more information.

Our law firm is helping Haitians around the United States file for TPS.  If you have any questions about your eligibility for TPS or would like to apply for TPS, please call us at 1-800-385-7105 or complete this form and we will contact you.

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Purpose of Temporary Protected Status (TPS)

Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is a blanket, temporary status that the United States government grants to persons already in the United States that are from countries the United States has determined are unsafe for them to return to.

A country may be designated for TPS if:

• There is ongoing armed conflict within the country that makes it unsafe for persons to return to the country; or
• A natural or environmental disaster has led to a substantial but temporary disruption of living conditions within a country; or
• Other extraordinary and temporary conditions prevent persons from returning to the country in safety.

When the United States designates a country for TPS status, it will also designate a time period in which persons from that country must register for TPS benefits and a termination date—the date when TPS designation for the country will end. The United States may choose to extend a country’s TPS designation beyond the initial period if it determines it is still unsafe for persons to return to the country.

Eligibility for Temporary Protected Status (TPS)

To establish your eligibility for TPS, you must:

• provide proof of your identity;
• provide proof that you are a national of a TPS-designated country;
• provide proof that you have been continuously living in the United States since the date of TPS-designation;
• register within the designated registration period (under certain circumstances, you may file an application for TPS after the registration period has ended); and
• not be subject to certain security and criminal grounds that make you inadmissible (you may be ineligible for TPS if you have committed certain crimes).

If you are stateless and cannot meet the second requirement, you may provide proof that you habitually resided in a TPS-designated country.

Registering and Re-registering for Temporary Protected Status

To register for TPS, you must file Form I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status and Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization.

If you are granted TPS, and TPS designation for your country is extended beyond the initial period, you must re-register for TPS. To re-register, you must again complete and file Form 821, Application for Temporary Protected Status and Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization.

If you have been granted TPS, you are eligible to apply for other immigration benefits for which you qualify. For example, you may apply for asylum even if you have been granted TPS. Also, if your asylum application has been denied, you may still be eligible for TPS.

Also, if you are granted TPS, you may travel abroad with permission. This means you will have to complete and file Form I-131, Application for Travel Document.

Termination of Temporary Protected Status

TPS does not lead to permanent resident status or citizenship. When the United States terminates its TPS designation for a country, the status of TPS beneficiaries returns to the status they had before being granted TPS, or any other status they acquired while being registered for TPS. This means that if you did not obtain any other lawful status during the period of TPS designation for your country, you will return to unlawful status upon termination of your country’s TPS designation.

U.S. Government Web Sites - Temporary Protected Status (TPS)

USCIS - Temporary Protected Status

USCIS - TPS Designated Country: Haiti

USCIS - Application for Temporary Protected Status

USCIS - Tips for Filing Form I-821, Application for TPS (link to PDF)

USCIS - Direktiv sou Aplikasyon Fòmilè I-821, Aplikasyon pou Estati Tanporè Pwoteje (link to PDF)

Immigration News - Temporary Protected Status (TPS)

Quake Prompts Respite for Haitians Illegally in U.S. - Weekend Edition - Jan. 16, 2010 (link to audio)

Administration to allow Haitians illegally in U.S. to stay for 18 months - Washington Post - Jan. 16. 2010

Haitians in U.S. can apply for protected status - CNN - Jan. 15. 2010

South Florida Haitians Want Protected Status - Tell Me More - Oct. 27, 2009 (link to audio)

U.S. extends protected status for Somali nationals - Minnesota Public Radio - July 28, 2009

Haitians worthy of temporary protected status - San Fransisco Chronicle Editorial - April 20, 2009