International aid donors and the Haitian government have been meeting in Port-au-Prince this week to discuss whether the country's development programs are on track and what additional aid is needed.
Haiti's President Pr‚val, together with top officials from donor agencies and the World Bank's Vice President for Latin America and the Caribbean, Shahid Javed Burki, will consider how much progress has been made in areas such as agriculture, transport, education, law enforcement and the justice system, water and sanitation, health and population, and the environment.
Talks will also focus on the government's implementation of key economic reforms, as well as issues of ethical government and accountability.
The meeting, which is being co-hosted by the World Bank and Haitian government, includes Haitian non-governmental organizations as well as local business people. This inclusion reflects the spirit of openness and participation essential to rebuilding Haiti's devastated economy.
In the two years since the 1991-94 embargo, Haiti has seen its first ever democratic elections and the beginnings of economic reform. However, the country faces enormous development challenges. Haunted by a legacy of social and political turbulence, a distressed economy, and a civil service in ruins, Haiti's development will be neither quick nor easy.
The World Bank's activities in Haiti are part of a large-scale international effort. The international donor community has committed $2 billion in highly concessional loans and grants for 1995-99. The Bank, whose projected disbursements for 1995-99 total $390 million, is focusing its support for the Government of Haiti on three priorities: immediate poverty reduction, rebuilding the public sector, and laying the foundation for sustainable growth.
A press conference following the meeting in Port-au-Prince on April 4 will announce the outcome of the meeting. For more information, call Diana Chung, (1-202) 473-8357, fax 522-0321, or e-mail dchung@worldbank.org.
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