Briefing ‘Disaster Relief and Preparedness: Haiti, a Year Later’

DPI NGO

By Vanessa Muro, Peace Action

The conference held on January 13th 2011, addressed the living situation of Haiti since a 7.0 earthquake struck the country and it focused on what has been done and what needs to be done for the country to achieve stability.

The first speaker, Mr. David Carden (chief of the Americas and the Caribbean, Central Asia, Europe and the Middle East Section of the UN’s OCHA) stated that after a year from the earthquake, the country’s reconstruction efforts still continue. The second speaker, Mr. Bruno Lemarquis (head of the Policy and Planning Division of UNDP’s Bureau for Crisis prevention and Recovery) called NGOs and the Haitian authorities to join forces and work together in the recovery process of Haiti . The third speaker, Denise Brown, (Senior Donor Relations Officer under the Government Donor Relations Division of the UN World Food Programme) argued that Haiti faces the obstacle of coordination and the difficulty of organizing distribution.

Finally, Taina Bien-Aime, (Executive Director of Equality Now) focused on the fact that Haiti has been living a chronic crisis. She emphasized the lack of security for women and urged the Haitian government to respond to their needs. Political will is needed as well as the UN recognition that rape and sexual violence is becoming a growing issue in the country.

In conclusion, although Haiti has received aid from both, the international community and local grassroots, it is important to point out that only combined efforts can achieve a common goal. The Haitian government, the international community and local grassroots need to come together with an efficient mechanism to overcome the obstacles that Haiti is facing.