25803: Hermantin(News)The goal: Democracy (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: leonie hermantin <lhermantin@hotmail.com>


-Miami Herald

Posted on Sat, Jul. 23, 2005



The goal: Democracy

BY GERARD LATORTUE


Nearly a year ago, Haiti and its international partners forged a new 
partnership aimed at leading the country to democratic elections while renewing 
efforts to put in place the institutions, practices and accountability to help 
the country begin its climb out of poverty onto a path of sustainable 
development.

On July 19-20, 2004, at a donor's conference in Washington, D.C., we presented 
our Interim Cooperation Framework to the international community. At that time, 
based on the needs identified in the ICF, donors pledged to commit $1.1 billion 
to Haiti and work in partnership with the interim government to help strengthen 
political and economic governance, revive economic activity, improve the 
delivery of basic services and pave the way for democratic elections this fall.

Progress on the way

To date, $400 million has been disbursed, 200 new schools have been 
constructed, 300 kilometers of rehabilitated and new roads built. We have 
distributed more than two million textbooks, and hundreds of thousands of 
people have been afforded access to clean water for the first time. Electricity 
services have been maintained both inside and outside Port-au-Prince, up from 
the two to three hours last year to an average of 10-12 hours a day in the 
capital. The health hazard of rotting garbage and dirty sewage in the streets 
has been dramatically reduced. Thousands of jobs have been created through 
rapid employment schemes in infrastructure, agriculture and development 
projects. Thousands of children have been immunized.

We also have worked hard to increase transparency in how public resources are 
used, established an anti-corruption unit that is now operational, and we are 
involving civil society in the preparation and monitoring of the government 
budget. On the security and electoral fronts, 2,300 new police officers have 
been recruited, and an ambitious electoral registration process has been 
launched.

But these are only small victories in a much larger battle that we must wage 
against poverty and destitution in Haiti. We must consolidate the gains in 
electricity coverage, create many thousands more jobs, build the roads that 
will link the capital with the potential breadbaskets of the Northeast and 
prepare our schools and children for the start of the next school year. Yet the 
sad fact remains that as we head closer toward elections in October and 
November, we are witnessing an increase in violence in parts of Port-au-Prince. 
Not only is the violence claiming the lives of far too many of our Haitian 
brothers and sisters, but it is disrupting our and donors' ability to deliver 
anti-poverty programs on the ground. This must end.

We must work more effectively with the police, concerned citizens and our 
friends from the United Nations to improve the security situation, protect 
human rights and make the streets of Port-au-Prince safe. We must bolster the 
U.N. peacekeeping mission, not just with promises but with more troops on the 
ground able and prepared to disarm the gangs and provide security for all 
Haitians. We must ensure that aid programs are not further hindered by violence 
in troubled neighborhoods.

Free and fair elections

In turn, we must increase social programs and create jobs to reduce the 
incentive for criminal activity. To do this requires endurance and political 
will. Above all, it requires the continued commitment of the international 
community to provide the financial and security assistance needed to get the 
job done.

As the new partnership between Haiti and the international community heads into 
a second year, we will not give in to intimidation from elements that seek to 
destabilize our country and rob our people of their hopes for the future. We 
must unite behind the goal of delivering free and fair elections in the fall. 
Now is the time when the resolve and resilience of the partnership between 
Haiti and the international community is more critical than ever if we are to 
prevail.

Gerard Latortue is prime minister of Haiti's interim government.






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