Brussels, 09/01/2013 (Agence Europe) - A few days from the anniversary of the worst earthquake Haiti has ever experienced, the European Union has strongly reiterated its commitment to help Haiti's recovery and it encourages the authorities to continue on the path of the reforms committed to by President Joseph Martelly (see EUROPE 10733) to facilitate reconstruction and long term development. This message was delivered on Tuesday 8 January, three years after this catastrophe.
“This week marks the third anniversary of the earthquake that hit Haiti on 12 January 2010, the devastating consequences of which have made it one of the worst natural disasters in recent history. Today, as we take stock of our actions since the disaster, we are also reaffirming our long-term commitment to the Haitian people, whose recovery and sustainable development remain our priority” affirmed High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton, European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response Kristalina Georgieva and European Commissioner for Development Andris Piebalgs in a joint statement.
Although 85% of the €522 million promised by the European Commission in 2010 has been committed and additional funds have been mobilised to respond to the needs of the population, they recognise that there is still much to do. They also add: “Recent events like tropical storm Isaac and Hurricane Sandy make the recovery of Haiti even more difficult and highlight yet again the need to increase Haitians' resilience to natural disasters. Despite the progress made, implementation of EU development assistance to Haiti over the last three years has been particularly challenging as political instability has hampered coordination efforts and implementation of development programmes. In that regard, we commend the government's recent decision to accelerate the reforms aimed at improving the planning and coordination of aid, as their full ownership of the development process is a key condition to success in Haiti.”
Today 350,000 people still live in temporary shelters. However, the humanitarian aid provided by the EU has benefitted 5 million people, in other words half the population, and support to governance, infrastructures, economic activity and the state budget is bearing fruit. The Haitian economy saw a recovery of about 6-7% in 2012. (AN/transl.fl)