24500: Leiderman: Florida Governor's Advisory Group on Haiti Draft Report, March 2005 (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Stuart M Leiderman <leidermn@cisunix.unh.edu>


dear Readers:

here is a copy of draft recommendations by a combination Florida-Haiti
working group on future cooperation and assistance to Haiti.  it's a mixed
bag that I believe deserves your careful reading.  I appreciate the
recommendations concerning environmental conservation and alternate
energy, but I especially enjoyed the generous and timely offer of
Recommendation 16:

"The State of Florida should use its extensive past experience with
organizing elections to provide technical assistance and support to the
Republic of Haiti's Provisional Electoral Council (CEP), as this body
prepares the country for national elections in November 2005.  Peaceful
and uncontested elections should be viewed as imperative for the future
security and stability of Haiti.  The State should utilize the Florida
Department of State's Division of Elections and other appropriate
organizations to render necessary technical resources.  Emphasis should
also be placed on working with Haitian-Americans in Florida to assist with
the upcoming elections (as elections observers, etc.)."

the contact is:

Michael Pilver
Governor's Liaison to the Haiti Advisory Group
Executive Office of the Governor
State of Florida
Ph:  (850) 487-2568
Fax:  (850) 487-3014
E-Mail: mike.pilver@myflorida.com

thank you,

Stuart Leiderman

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March 2005

FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE GOVERNOR'S HAITI ADVISORY GROUP

Comprehensive

Recommendation 1:  As the Governor's Haiti Advisory Group
submits its final report, it believes that the work for which it has
been tasked has merely just begun and that it is imperative that
Florida's efforts to assist Haiti continue.  Accordingly, the State of
Florida should establish an office or designate an organization to
manage an on-going Florida-Haiti Initiative.  Through staff
coordination and a dedicated website, this office/organization would
serve as a clearinghouse to disseminate information concerning the
three priority areas that were identified by the Group (Economic
Development, Disaster Preparedness, and Security), as well as other
areas important to Haiti's reconstruction. The 	office/organization would
also maintain strong relations with Florida's Haitian-American
community and would work to carry out other recommendations described in
this report.

Recommendation 2:  The State of Florida should establish a Florida-Haiti
student exchange program, in which Florida students could travel to Haiti
for service projects ("Service Learning" and internship credit hours) and
Haitian students could travel to Florida with scholarships to study in the
public, independent, and community colleges and universities of Florida.

Recommendation 3:  The State of Florida should provide resources for
the creation of a dedicated Florida-Haiti Professional Exchange and
Training Program with the Government of Haiti.  This would allow Florida
volunteers, utilizing their vast experience and skills, to travel to Haiti
to provide in-country technical assistance/training and for Haitian
officials to travel to Florida to receive longer-duration off-site
training (in a productive, effective environment).  The objective of the
professional exchange and training program would be to provide Haitian
participants with the knowledge, skills, and resources they need to work
more effectively in their respective fields and to build greater capacity
within Haitian institutions.  Technical assistance/training could be
rendered in any number of areas including security, infrastructure
development, urban housing projects, disaster preparedness, public health,
education/literacy, elections, business development, public
administration, environmental protection/conservation, technical trades,
etc.

Recommendation 4:  The State of Florida should actively promote Haitian
Home Town Associations (HTA's) in Florida and Florida sister cities with
Haiti, as a vehicle for mobilizing Florida's large Haitian-American
Diaspora to accelerate decentralization by assisting in the development of
individual towns/areas of Haiti.  This promotion of HTA's/Sister Cities
could partly be accomplished through the Florida-Haiti clearinghouse
office/organization discussed in Recommendation 1.

Economic Development

Recommendation 5:  In order to assist the Republic of Haiti in the
collection of import duties on goods coming from Florida, The State
should jointly explore with the Government of Haiti the
establishment of a specialized Bilateral Trade Facilitation and
Development Agency.

Recommendation 6:  The State of Florida should partner with
appropriate organizations/agencies in Florida and Haiti (Enterprise
Florida, Florida Chamber of Commerce, AmCham Haiti, Chamber of Commerce &
Industry of Haiti, etc.) to sponsor a Haiti-Florida Trade Mission and
Matchmaker Fair in which representatives of Haitian businesses can
travel to Florida to meet with counterparts.  Promotion of investment in
Haiti, as well as networking and identification of export opportunities
for Haitian products would be primary goals.  A second trade mission from
Florida to Haiti could follow. As there is a need to enlarge the business
sector in Haiti to provide for inclusive capitalism, the State of Florida
should also:

Identify and help facilitate an organization to create a "one-stop shop"
for incorporation of business in Haiti to appeal to the Haitian-American
Diaspora as potential investors.

With possible technical assistance from entities such as Enterprise
Florida - encourage the Republic of Haiti to liberalize its investment
laws, strengthen its laws regarding property rights, and create a viable
property records/registry system. Enforcing the Rule of Law should be
stressed as a priority.  All of this will serve to stimulate greater
foreign direct investment into the country.

Recommendation 7:  The State of Florida should assist Haiti's Ministry of
Commerce, Industry, & Tourism in its plan to create a targeted tourism
marketing campaign to attract Haitian-American residents of Florida to
return to their country as tourists in order to rediscover its natural
beauty and historical attractions.  Entities such as VISIT FLORIDA might
be able to provide guidance/assistance in this endeavor.

Recommendation 8:  The State of Florida should encourage cruise lines
operating in Florida to provide technical assistance/guidance to the
Haitian Ministry of Commerce, Industry, & Tourism in the development of
various ports-of-call as one of the country's most viable areas of areas
of growth in the tourism sector.  Investment in ports-of-call development
should also be encouraged.

Recommendation 9:  The State of Florida should work with the
Florida Congressional Delegation to express the importance of
preferential trade agreements like the HERO Act and the HOPE Act
(between the United States and Haiti) for job creation and
economic development in Haiti's manufacturing sector.

Recommendation 10:  The State of Florida should encourage Florida power
companies to assist the Government of Haiti in producing adequate levels
of electricity in the cities and rural areas of Haiti.

Disaster Preparedness/Environmental Rehabilitation

Recommendation 11:  The State of Florida should employ its well-
developed expertise and experience with natural disasters to provide
technical assistance to the Republic of Haiti's Bureau of Civil
Protection, in order for this agency to develop appropriate disaster
management infrastructure and training.  Technical training provided
through the Florida Division of Emergency Management, as well as
appropriate surplus equipment donated from other State and local
agencies, could be utilized toward this end.  All State of Florida
efforts in this area should be coordinated with other public and
private entities, which are currently working in Haiti to strengthen
the Bureau of Civil Protection.

Recommendation 12:  The State of Florida should promote and identify
resources for a limited reforestation/watershed stabilization pilot
program in Haiti, utilizing new approaches to this continuing problem.
Such a pilot program, possibly in partnership with a major Florida
research university, should focus on halting erosion on deforested
hillsides in areas prone to flooding.

Recommendation 13:  Through regional forums, The State of Florida should
foster dialogue between the governments of Haiti and other countries in
the Caribbean to address the problem of wood charcoal exportation from
Haiti to areas such as the Bahamas and the Dominican Republic.

Recommendation 14:  The State of Florida should assist and encourage the
Republic of Haiti in the development of alternative sources of energy to
reduce the demand for wood charcoal.  Emphasis could be placed on
relatively low-cost and environmentally-friendly alternatives, such as
hydroelectric power, wind power, and solar power.  Haiti has an abundance
of hydroelectric, wind, and solar power potential that could be developed
as energy alternatives.

Security

Recommendation 15:  The State of Florida should utilize its great
expertise and experience in law enforcement, corrections, and public
safety to assist the growth and professionalization of the Haitian
National Police (HNP).  The State should coordinate its efforts in this
area with the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) and
the Organization of American States (OAS), which are both currently
facilitating police training/development programs in Haiti.  Haitian
police and corrections officials could possibly travel to Florida to
receive advanced professional development training through entities like
the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's Criminal Justice Executive
Institute.  Similarly, police and corrections officials from any number of
Florida's state and local law enforcement/corrections agencies could be
encouraged to travel to Haiti to serve as on-site technical consultants.
The State of Florida should encourage municipalities with large
Haitian-American populations to also engage their resources (e.g.
Miami-Dade County, City of Miami, etc.).

Recommendation 16:  The State of Florida should use its extensive
past experience with organizing elections to provide technical 	assistance
and support to the Republic of Haiti's Provisional Electoral Council
(CEP), as this body prepares the country for national elections in
November 2005.  Peaceful and uncontested elections should be viewed
as imperative for the future security and stability of Haiti.  The
State should utilize the Florida Department of State's Division of
Elections and other appropriate organizations to render necessary
technical resources.  Emphasis should also be placed on working with
Haitian-Americans in Florida to assist with the upcoming elections (as
elections observers, etc.).

Recommendation 17:  The State of Florida should support and encourage
the rendering of technical assistance from Florida for 	specialized areas
of Haiti's security infrastructure.  Areas lacking adequate security
programs that threaten the free flow of commerce and tourists,
such as Haiti's seaport and airport facilities, should receive
special attention.

Recommendation 18: The State of Florida should encourage the U.S. federal
government to re-examine its policies with respect to bans on non-military
weapon and security equipment sales to legitimate Haitian law enforcement
entities.

Recommendation 19:  The State of Florida should sponsor and host
National Dialogue and Reconciliation talks in Florida for Haiti's
various political parties prior to the national elections set to take
place in Haiti in the fall of 2005.

Advocacy Issues

In addition to the formal recommendations above, the Advisory
Group also believes that the State of Florida's advocacy for Haiti on
the following issues may be of great value:

The State of Florida should continually encourage the U.S. federal
government and the international community to aggressively engage
resources and develop innovative strategies to help the Republic of Haiti
address critical problems areas.

The State of Florida should encourage the U.S. federal government to
re-examine its official travel warning for Haiti, as this warning
discourages the flow of both investment and tourism into the country.

The State of Florida should encourage the promotion of microcredit in
Haiti as a means of providing 	sustainable economic development for the
rural poor.

The State of Florida should encourage the Government of Haiti to create
an official post for an Inspector General as an independent entity
reporting to the President of Haiti, the Prime Minister of Haiti, and the
International Donor Community.  Implementation of this recommendation
would help to ensure good governance in Haiti, in order for the country to
meet Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) eligibility guidelines and other
international donor standards.

The State of Florida should promote the development of a Haitian
Conservation Corps to facilitate and maintain reforestation/watershed
stabilization projects in Haiti.  The development of such a Haitian
Conservation Corps could be based on models that have met with much
success in other flood-prone areas of the Caribbean and Latin America
(e.g. Honduras and Mexico).

The State of Florida should encourage the international community,
particularly countries utilizing the Napoleonic Code/civil law, to assist
Haiti in modernizing and strengthening its judicial system.

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