A ministerial conference on supporting post-disaster recovery in Haiti, will be held on March 31 in New York City, the Department of State officially confirmed.
The United States and the United Nations will co-host the conference in cooperation with the Government of Haiti and with the support of Brazil, Canada, the European Union, France and Spain.
The conference, titled “International Donors’ Conference Towards a New Future for Haiti” will be convened at the U.N. in New York on March 31.
“The goal of the conference is to mobilize international support for the development needs of Haiti to begin to lay the foundation for Haiti’s long-term recovery,” according to a press statement today.
Outlining the enormity of the challenges faced by the government of Haiti following the devastating earthquake of January 12, the Department of State communiqué said there was a need for a “sustained and substantial commitment from the international community, in support of the government and people of Haiti.
Underscoring the importance of Haiti’s own role in the process it was made clear that at the conference Haiti would present its vision for its own future and international organisations would assist. The conference would also focus significantly on obtaining resource pledges from donor countries, international organizations, and other partners.
Touching on U.S. commitment towards staying involved in the post-disaster reconstruction process Esther Brimmer, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of International Organization Affairs, said, “This is a long-term commitment, and if we are to realize the true meaning of community, we must all prepare to do what is necessary to help Haiti recover”.
For this reason the United States will be a key participant in organizing the March 31 donors conference for Haiti, Ms. Brimmer added. She said the U.S. intended to follow through on President Obama words when he said, “the United States will be there with the Haitian government and the United Nations every step of the way”.
