Contacts:
In Washington: Stevan Jackson, (202) 458 5054
sjackson@worldbank.org  WASHINGTON DC, February 21, 2006—Donor governments, international financial institutions, and international and regional organizations met today under the chairmanship of the World Bank to review the status of cooperation with Haiti and agree on a coordinated and rapid engagement with the country’s newly elected authorities.  The meeting welcomed the election of President-elect Rene Preval and expressed appreciation to the Haitian people and authorities, MINUSTAH, and OAS for the holding of elections on February 7, 2006. The meeting expressed support for the second round of parliamentary as well as local and municipal elections to proceed smoothly and in a timely fashion. They also discussed the importance of providing training, material and technical assistance for the institutions resulting from these elections such as the parliament, permanent electoral council, and local government. Donors underscored the importance of the newly elected authorities’ commitment to consolidating democracy, good governance, political dialogue and national reconciliation.  The meeting discussed the status of the Interim Cooperation Framework (ICF) implemented since July 2004 to support the Haitian people. Some $780 million of donor support pledged in the context of the ICF has been disbursed as of end December 2005.  Donors agreed to meet with the new government authorities in Port-au-Prince as soon as possible to discuss the ICF and how to approach its extension through end 2007, as agreed by the Haitian authorities and donors meeting in Brussels in October 2005. Donors proposed to discuss with the new authorities the preparation of a joint Haitian government-donors stocktaking of the ICF to look at its accomplishments, gaps, strengths and weaknesses, including strengthening coordination mechanisms. Donors also proposed to prepare an independent and integrated evaluation of the ICF that would provide input for a National Strategy to Reduce Poverty to be prepared by the government and a broad range of Haitian stakeholders.  The meeting was attended by delegations from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, the European Commission, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States, the CARICOM Secretariat, the Inter-American Development Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the International Organization of the Francophonie, MINUSTAH, the Organization of American States, the Pan American Health Organization, UNDP, and the World Bank.  - |
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