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#5083: Re: Schedule of Haitian American Summit 2000 (fwd)



From: JBapdoc@aol.com


NOAH/HHF
FIFTH ANNUAL DINNER/WORKSHOP
CONCEPT FOR HAITIAN-AMERICAN PARTICIPATION 
IN U.S. POLICY DEVELOPMENT TOWARD HAITI



BACKGROUND:

For the past four years, the National Organization for the Advancement of 
Haitians (NOAH) has been successful in organizing an Awards Gala and 
Workshop, and has brought together not only friends of Haiti, but also a wide 
spectrum of Haitian-Americans, and Haitians living in Haiti as well as 
outside of Haiti.  The event has been highly successful and well received by 
the community at large because it provides a much-needed forum where issues 
of critical importance can be aired and discussed among individuals who are 
not only interested in seeing Haiti move forward, but are willing to actively 
participate in the process.  Each year, the Awards Gala and Workshop are 
developed under a particular theme such as:

·   Launching and Sustaining Economic Growth in Haiti - 1996
(Venue: Washington Hyatt Hotel, Washington DC; held in partnership with the   
             Haitian-American Alliance)

·   Business Development in Haiti - 1997 
     (Venue:  The Waldorf-Astoria, New York)

·   Tourism Development in Haiti - 1998 
      (Venue: The Waldorf-Astoria, New York)

·   Investment in Haiti - 1999  
(Venue: The Washington Hotel, Washington, DC; held in partnership with the 
Haitian Holiday Festival).

In less than four years from now in the year 2004, Haiti will celebrate 200 
years of independence.  From a purely historical perspective, there is much 
to celebrate.  However, from a social and economic development perspective, 
there is much to reconcile.  Despite its beautiful beaches, and close 
proximity to the U.S., Haiti continues to suffer from the ills of 
underdevelopment.   The majority of Haitians continue to experience the pangs 
of inadequate health services (primary, secondary, and tertiary); poor 
infrastructure (water, sewage systems, electricity, and telecommunications); 
poor education (minimal capacity to provide adequate education to Haiti's 
children and adults), poor economic conditions (a per capita income of less 
than $300 per annum), and high insecurity (rampant crime in the face of an 
inadequate security force and judicial system).

It is clear that since 1991, the US has made efforts to bring democratic 
governance and socioeconomic development to Haiti, and as a result, much 
progress has been made in building a democratic (non-authoritarian) society.  
However, in order to ensure the successful development and implementation of 
a cohesive policy that addresses Haiti's critical and most basic needs, and 
simultaneously promotes socioeconomic development, the parties must work to 
establish a strategic plan with realistic goals that can be accomplished 
within the immediate future. NOAH, in partnership with HHF, is appealing to 
the U.S. government, and hopes to obtain the full support of the White House 
and the State Department to educate our constituency on US Policy Development 
towards Haiti. 

FIFTH ANNUAL SUMMIT HAITI 2000   

We strongly believe that if Haitian-Americans, Haitians and friends of Haiti 
work closely with US policy-makers, together we can successfully develop 
policies that will meet US objectives as well as bring peace and stability to 
Haiti. Haitian-Americans have been an untapped resource in the search for 
peace and economic development in Haiti.  NOAH/HHF could be a crucial link in 
the development of sound practical policies that can help to resolve Haiti's 
conflicts and assist US policy-makers in designing coherent and effective 
policies toward Haiti.  Therefore, we ask that you work with us as we bring 
together Haitians and friends of Haiti to Washington, DC, to begin the 
process of understanding US development policy toward Haiti. To this end, we 
propose that policies be revisited and modified in order to obtain better 
results and hopefully make a difference in the quality of life for Haitians 
during this decade. Our objective is to continue to assist Haiti in becoming 
less dependent and more self-sufficient through public-private partnerships. 
The State Department's involvement in such an event will show the 
Haitian-American community that the U.S. is indeed actively seeking ways to 
assist Haiti in achieving sustainable development.


STRUCTURE:

NOAH and HHF propose to organize the Summit over a Three-day period.

            
·   Sept. 28            Dialogue with members of Congress.
                        Reception at Capitol Hill.
·   Sept. 29            White House briefing on Haiti
                        Award Dinner to recognize public officials/leaders      
                who have consistently supported Haiti.
·   Sept. 30            Symposium on US. Development Policy on                  
    Haiti. Active role and participation of Haitian American                  
                   in the U.S. Presidential election 2000 
ORGANIZATION OF THE WORKSHOP:

The summit workshop will contain six key sessions, these are:

·   Economic Development, Trade, Investment and Job Creation
·   Health Care and HIV/Aids Policy Reform Toward Haiti
·   US Immigration/Repatriation Policy Reform Toward Haiti
·   Judicial and Security Policy Reform Toward Haiti 
·   Education Policy Reform Toward Haiti
·   Haitian American Role and Impact in U.S. Politics.


The workshop will have two plenary sessions, one at the beginning and one at 
the end, and breakaway/simultaneous sessions dealing with each of the subject 
matters.

Each session will have a panel of experts who will make presentations 
relevant to the subject matter, and will address specific issues and 
questions in an open forum at the end of the session.  At the conclusion of 
the workshops, recommendations will be made to help redesign practical US 
Policies towards Haiti that will bring immediate solutions to the numerous 
critical challenges that Haiti currently faces.

Each panel will have a moderator and a technical expert along with panelists 
making presentations.  Panelists will present papers dealing with failures or 
nonconformity of current US Development Policy in each of their respective 
areas, and make recommendations as to which policies would best address 
Haiti's socioeconomic needs.


Targeted attendees will be all those who are concerned with the future of 
Haiti to include representatives of community and professional Haitian 
organizations in the US and Canada, Haitian professionals, members of the 
business community, international and non-governmental organizations working 
in Haiti, and other interested parties.
 

PROPOSED AGENDA:

Thursday Sept 28, 2000:

8:30 AM - 11:30 AM  Board Meeting: Caribbean-American Leadership Council        
                (PAC)

12:30 PM- 5:00 PM   Meeting with various Congressmen and Senators at Capitol 
Hill.                   Support the creation of an Economic Development Fund 
for Haiti

6:30 PM- 9:00 PM            Reception at Capitol Hill Rotunda.


Friday Sept 29, 2000:

10:00 AM - 1:30 PM              White House Briefing on current U.S. Policies 
toward
                            Haiti.

 6:30 PM- 11:00 PM      NOAH Award Gala


NOAH/HHF ANNUAL AWARDS DINNER: 

In keeping with NOAH's mission, the theme for this year's Awards Gala will 
be: "Vision 2000:Rebuilding Haiti Through Education".

 Dinner Chair       Mr. Dumas M. Siméus CEO. SFI
                    Mrs. Harriett Michel Pres.

Honorary Chair      Cong. John Conyers
                    Amb. Pierre Lelong
                    Dr. Dorothy Height
                

6:30 PM - 7:30 PM       VIP and General reception

7:30 PM - 10:30 PM  Dinner/Awards presentation
                
                        Outstanding Leadership Award:
                            Senator Bob Graham.

                        Excellence in Public Service Award
                            Cong. Charlie Rangel.

                        Outstanding Humanitarian Award:
                    Mr. Danny Glover. / Mrs. Susan Krabaker
                
                            Outstanding U.S. Corporation Award:
                                        American Airline.

                        Excellence in Arts and Entertainment Award
                                    Edwidge Dandicat
            

10:30 PM - 12:00 AM Post Reception.
(Entertainment by Haitian/Haitian-American Performing Artists)

Saturday Sept 30, 2000

8:30 AM - 9:30 AM       Breakfast and registration.

9:30 AM - 10:30 AM  Plenary Session - All attendees.
                    Keynote Address: Cong. Charles Rangel (invited) and         
                Ambassador Donald Steinberg.

10:30 AM- 12:30 PM  Presentation and discussion of the recommendation paper 
                        "Toward a Unified Development Policy for Haiti."  
                        Breakout working Sessions

12:30PM- 1:30 PM        Working Lunch   

1:30 PM - 3:30 PM       Debate and presentation of each subject to the 
attendees.
                        Haitian American Role and Impact in the US Election 
2000.

3:30 PM - 5:00 PM   Conclusion Plenary session: Final presentation and Recap 
presented by Chair/Moderator of each working group.



FINAL RECOMMENDATION PAPER: 

Recommendation from the Summit will then be presented to you and the U.S. 
Government within a brief period after the Summit. However, many U.S. 
officials will have first hand knowledge of the recommendations through their 
participation in the Summit as presenters, moderators, and workshop 
participants.

As one of a leader in our community, your support of NOAH Fifth Annual 
Gala/Symposium will ensure the success of the organization work to improve 
the live of Haitians.
Tax-deductible individual ticket to the event is $250. 00. Please call our 
coordinator Madeline Lawson ASAP for reservation at (301) 774-5730 or fax 
(301) 774 -5732 or Email: madelinelawson@cs.com.

If you are interested in participating at the White House briefing you can 
fax or Email your address, social security number and birth date to Dr. J. 
Baptiste at (301) 585 - 1235 or Fax (301) 585 - 5395 or Email: 
jbapdoc@aol.com by September 20.

PS. Participation to the White House briefing is BY INVITATION ONLY.  For 
security reasons your reservation and all your information are needed ASAP 
for clearance.

Again, on behalf of NOAH Board of Directors, I would like to thank you in 
advance for you participation.