Haiti

There was briefing at the United Nations today on the situation in Haiti. The briefer Hedi Annabi is the Secretary General’s Special Representative to Haiti.

He said it is a different country than before the four hurricanes. A new government was installed on September 5th, and the new government has been very involved. There are huge infrastructure problems with electricity, roads, etc. Hedi Annabi called it a catastrophic situation. What has happened is way beyond the capacity of the government, he said. The UN is helping to build institutions such as reform for Haitian police. They hope to be able to reach 14,000 police by 2011. The goal is to have them perform basic police functions. Also they are working on a judicial
plan. A lot more needs to be done to respond to security threats within the country. He called it as close to you can get to “hell on earth.”

The World Bank is providing $25 million in assistance. It is a difficult global situation. The investment situation will avoid costs of future instability. This remains a time of hope for Haiti. Mud has dried in some areas and has turned into cement. The government has deployed heavy equipment as well as volunteers. School year in some parts of the country has not begun. Haiti is only halfway through the hurricane season. Some things like the prison system are totally overwhelmed. The international standard is 2.5 meters per prisoner, but in Haiti it is 0.05 meters per prisoner which makes it impossible to lie down. He said that it is the poorest country in the hemisphere and that there are things that can have immediate impact.