The 13 th Ministerial Meeting between the Rio Group and the European Union held recently in Santo Domingo , Dominican Republic , placed particular emphasis on the international community’s interest in Haiti .  

That commitment is of great significance for a country like Haiti , which is seeking new channels for development. The ministers of both international organisations agreed to make the Haitian situation a priority for international co-operation, as is evident in the press release prepared to distribute the results of the meeting: “The Ministers ratified the commitment assumed in the 2005 Luxemburg Declaration, and expressed their willingness to continue deepening short, medium and long term co-operation with Haiti, indicating that these are shared challenges and priority concerns. They established that peace, the restoration of order and overcoming the decline in security are fundamental in order to facilitate strong state institutions, legal certainty, respect for human rights and the strengthening of the democratic climate created by the efforts of President René Preval.

They recognised that Haiti ’s socioeconomic development requires the ongoing support of the international community. Bilateral donors and international organisations must support the priorities identified by the Haitian authorities, disbursing with greater celerity, the contributions pledged for co-operation projects that are geared toward eradicating poverty, improving basic services and increasing civic safety. At the same time, greater technical assistance efforts are necessary in order to increase Haiti ’s capacity to absorb international co-operation flows.”

This support takes on greater relevance since underlying the grave political problems outlined above, is an unsustainable economic and social situation that generates indicators of extreme poverty. It is for that reason that we want to consider the commitment recently assumed as an initial step toward having the resources pledged in different forums finally reaching a population that has been clamouring to get on board the train of social development once and for all.

It is our desire that the commitment toward Haiti result in the creation of a mechanism that would bring assistance, which would strengthen the local capacity for investment in development, influencing basic aspects such as health, education, nutrition, access to potable water and sanitation services.

There are many examples of nations shaken by violence and political instability that have emerged from that state through economic growth and the application of measures that have enabled them to escape the snares of poverty. These factors usually create a vicious cycle, raising the question as to which comes first - poverty or violence.

Dr. Rubén Silié Valdez is the Secretary General of the Association of Caribbean States. The opinions expressed are not necessarily the official views of the ACS. Comments and reactions can be sent to mail@acs-aec.org

May 3, 2007