NewsWhore
06-04-2010, 04:30 PM
President Leonel Fernandez in his opening words yesterday at the World Summit on the Future of Haiti in Punta Cana reaffirmed the Dominican commitment to support sustainable recovery in Haiti, devastated by the 12 January earthquake. President Fernandez expressed his concern for the delayed disbursements of promised funds.
"In only 30 seconds, more than 300,000 people were injured; in just 30 seconds, more than one million people lost their homes; in just 30 seconds, Haiti lost 120% of its GDP; in just 30 seconds thousands of children were made orphans, thousands lost their most close relatives, and thousands were left in anguish," Fernandez said.
Much of Haiti's infrastructure was destroyed by the quake, which left more than 200,000 people dead.
Fernandez urged quick action given that the 2010 hurricane season will be active, which bodes a worsening of the situation of the hundreds of thousands of homeless.
Fernandez said that while there has been a great outpouring from the international community, there have been delays in the disbursement of the pledged help, at a time when the Haitian government is looking for funds to even cover its own operation.
"At this time, for the Haitian authorities to be able to function adequately, they require support to be able to meet their budget needs in the amount of 262 million dollars. The monies need to be available in their national accounts before the month of September," Fernandez said. "We hope that by the end of this summit, President (Rene) Preval can bring to his fellow citizens the good news that this commitment has been obtained here, in Punta Cana, the Dominican Republic."
Following the quake, the international community and multilateral organizations committed in a summit in New York to provide US$1.3 billion in aid of the estimated US$15 billion needed for the new Haiti. At the Punta Cana meeting, commitments were secured for US$7.8 billion.
The challenge, nevertheless, continues to be to put pledges into action. So far, countries have delivered nearly US$11 million of the budgeted US$10 billion dollars for a 10-year plan.
Key participants were President Leonel Fernandez, Vice President Rafael Alburquerque, President Rene Preval Garcia, Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellarive, former US President Bill Clinton, OAS General Secretary Jose Miguel Insulza, IDB president Luis Alberto Moreno.
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/world-drafts-haitis... (http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/world-drafts-haitis-reconstruction-road-map-95513459.html)
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#1)
"In only 30 seconds, more than 300,000 people were injured; in just 30 seconds, more than one million people lost their homes; in just 30 seconds, Haiti lost 120% of its GDP; in just 30 seconds thousands of children were made orphans, thousands lost their most close relatives, and thousands were left in anguish," Fernandez said.
Much of Haiti's infrastructure was destroyed by the quake, which left more than 200,000 people dead.
Fernandez urged quick action given that the 2010 hurricane season will be active, which bodes a worsening of the situation of the hundreds of thousands of homeless.
Fernandez said that while there has been a great outpouring from the international community, there have been delays in the disbursement of the pledged help, at a time when the Haitian government is looking for funds to even cover its own operation.
"At this time, for the Haitian authorities to be able to function adequately, they require support to be able to meet their budget needs in the amount of 262 million dollars. The monies need to be available in their national accounts before the month of September," Fernandez said. "We hope that by the end of this summit, President (Rene) Preval can bring to his fellow citizens the good news that this commitment has been obtained here, in Punta Cana, the Dominican Republic."
Following the quake, the international community and multilateral organizations committed in a summit in New York to provide US$1.3 billion in aid of the estimated US$15 billion needed for the new Haiti. At the Punta Cana meeting, commitments were secured for US$7.8 billion.
The challenge, nevertheless, continues to be to put pledges into action. So far, countries have delivered nearly US$11 million of the budgeted US$10 billion dollars for a 10-year plan.
Key participants were President Leonel Fernandez, Vice President Rafael Alburquerque, President Rene Preval Garcia, Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellarive, former US President Bill Clinton, OAS General Secretary Jose Miguel Insulza, IDB president Luis Alberto Moreno.
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/world-drafts-haitis... (http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/world-drafts-haitis-reconstruction-road-map-95513459.html)
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#1)