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30007: Leiderman (news/analysis) -- Haiti's friend at OAS? (fwd)
From: leiderman@mindspring.com
13 February 2007
dear Readers:
'just ran across two noteworthy initiatives for Haiti -- concerning tourism and education (including skills training and on-the-job-training) -- announced by Ambassador Albert R. Ramdin, Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS). [when I was growing up, OAS used to be called the Pan American Union -- the headquarters are still in Washington, D.C.]
the name of this Caribbean game seems to be to get your organization mentioned in newspaper articles as frequently as possible without actually publicly committing to any dollars or level of effort. somebody, of course, has to work out the donor details, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of outcome. at any rate, Senor Ramdin deserves credit and some followup correspondence.
for the tourism one, note an OAS Trade and Investment Forum in Haiti in May, and a later tourism conference in D.C. for unspecified participants. maybe they'll get down to dollars and cents then. for the education one, note the role of Canada. OAS' Education site http://www.oas.org/udse/english/cpo_cie.html
has a place for every country. typing in "Caribbean" and then "Haiti" brings up the following empty page:
"Hait??
This space is reserved for each country to provide information on the main policies and programs to combat poverty which they are developing, as well as, their indicators and statistics. Special emphasis will be paid to those projects implemented by Ministries and Highest Authorities in Education of each country in accordance with the mandates of the Summits of the Americas and the Ministerial meetings. Additionally, this space will be used for follow-up on the commitments assumed by each country within the framework of the Inter-American Committee on Education, its commissions and working groups, as well as the technical cooperation activities they are undertaking."
it looks to me like another missed opportunity for Haiti. someone ought to jump on this...
also below, current contact information of Haiti diplomats assigned to OAS.
thank you,
Stuart Leiderman
leiderman@mindspring.com
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Contacts from OAS tourism website: <http://www.oas.org/tourism/home/>
Orlando Mason
Chief, Tourism Section
Omason@oas.org
Tel: +1-202-458-3345
Fax: +1-202-458-3190
Daniel Perna
Dperna@oas.org
Tel: +1-202-458-3221
Fax: +1-202-458-3190
Kim Osborne
Kosborne@oas.org
Tel: +1-202-458-6144
Fax: +1-202-458-3190
Sandra Burns
Sburns@oas.org
Tel: +1-202-458-3266
Fax: +1-202-458-3190
Manuela Leon
Mleon@oas.org
Tel: +1-202-458-3266
Fax: +1-202-458-3190
http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/cgi-script/csArticles/articles/000058/005883.htm
OAS pledges help for Haiti's tourism development
Saturday, February 10, 2007
WASHINGTON, USA: The Organization of American States (OAS), in
response to a request from the government of Haiti, has pledged to help that
country update its tourism master plan to spur economic development and
pportunity. Assistant Secretary General Albert R. Ramdin discussed these
and related issues during a meeting with Haiti???s Minister of Tourism, Patrick
Delatour, at OAS headquarters in Washington.
???Haiti provides a unique tourism product in terms of the culture, the history and the physical landscape,??? the Assistant Secretary General observed. ???Through tourism, we can assist Haiti in the critical objectives of lifting the people out of poverty???providing jobs, creating employment and income.???
Ambassador Ramdin assured Minister Delatour that the Organization will explore possible efforts to assist tourism development in Labadie and to look at further development of the tourism potential of Cap Haitien and the Citadel.
Ramdin said assisting the country???s tourism can help expand the debate on
Haiti beyond political issues to a discussion of how to assist the country???s
social and economic development. He suggested that Haiti???s tourism could
benefit from the high-level Haiti Trade and Investment Forum the OAS is
coordinating in Haiti in early May. He also noted that a tourism conference
is set for later in the year, at OAS headquarters in Washington
Minister Delatour expressed appreciation for the Organization???s longstanding
and strong advocacy for his country???s tourism development based on the
wealth of Haitian culture, music, architecture and other elements. The
Caribbean people understand that the major competition in the tourism
sector is not between countries in the Caribbean but between the Caribbean
and the Mediterranean as a destination, he said.
The Haitian official expressed particular interest in Haiti being part of the
effort to market the Caribbean as one tourism destination, stressing the
strategic interest in a stable Haiti. He went on to note that tourism
development must also recognize that the majority of tourists are cultural
consumers and are interested in looking at joint destinations in the region.
Besides the assistance in updating the tourism master plan for the
preservation of historical monuments and sites, OAS support would also
focus on raising awareness among Haitians so they can better appreciate
the importance of this effort.
- - - - - -
Contacts from OAS Department of Education and Culture website
<http://www.oas.org/udse/english/cpo_cie.html>
1889 F Street NW, Piso 7
Washington, DC - 20006
United States
Tel: 202-458-3438
Fax: 202-458-3744
E-mail: udse@oas.org
Lenore Yaffee Garc??a
Director
E-mail: LGarcia@oas.org
Gaby Fujimoto-G??mez
Specialist Senior, Education
E-mail: gfujimoto@oas.org
David Edwards
Specialist, Education
E-mail: dedwards@oas.org
Jorge Baxter
Specialist, Education
E-mail: jbaxter@oas.org
http://www.oas.org/OASpage/press_releases/press_release.asp?sCodigo=E-037/07
OAS ASSISTANT SECRETARY GENERAL BACKS EDUCATION INITIATIVE IN HAITI
February 7, 2007
Supporting an initiative to improve education in Haiti, the Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Ambassador Albert R. Ramdin, advocated a twin-track approach that would include both short- and long-term objectives. He called for quick-impact socioeconomic programs that would improve living conditions for Haitians, as well as sustained efforts to build capacity and strengthen institutions in order to advance democratic governance, security and development.
Ambassador Ramdin made his remarks at The Carter Center in Atlanta, addressing a recent forum on ???The Role of the Private Sector in Improving Educational Outcomes in Haiti.??? Haitian government officials, private sector leaders, representatives of the international community and education specialists participated in the forum, which explored possibilities for donor support to public-private partnerships in education. The meeting was organized by the Canadian Foundation for the Americas (FOCAL), in association with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), The Carter Center, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and CIFAL Atlanta, an affiliate of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research.
The OAS Assistant Secretary General called for a realistic program based on Haiti's development needs. Young people are a country???s key asset, he said, and their education is therefore a priority. Ambassador Ramdin said entrepreneurship training and e-training in governance and education could be provided by the OAS through the Young Americas Business Trust (YABT).
Providing access to quality education at all levels in Haiti is not confined to formal education, but must include skills training and on-the-job training, Ramdin told the meeting. And while primary, secondary and tertiary education would need a huge influx of capital and skills, he said, programs could be developed in the short term in which Haitian experts in the diaspora could return to their country to share their skills and help train people.
Ambassador Ramdin further pointed out that Haiti???s recent readmission to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and entry into the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) as a borrowing member raised prospects for closer cooperation with CARICOM. To boost education, he suggested a public-private partnership to set up a University of the West Indies campus in Haiti.
Former Canadian Prime Minister Joe Clark chaired the meeting, which was a follow-up to one held in Ottawa in September 2005, the brainchild of Clark and then-IDB President Enrique Iglesias. That first event generated new opportunities to engage donors, and the Haitian private sector has participated in meetings of the Interim Cooperation Framework (ICF) for Haiti. The IDB, in collaboration with the OAS, is planning a meeting in Haiti for later this year to develop a public-private strategy for education in Haiti.
Reference: E-037/07
- - - - - - -
http://www.oas.org/documents/eng/memberstates.asp?sCode=HAI#Inicio
HAITI
Address:
2311 Massachusetts Ave., NW, 20008
Phone:
(202) 332-4090 | (202) 332-4096
Fax:
(202) 518-8742
E-mail:
haiti@oas.org
Office Hours:
9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. / Closed: Saturday
Permanent Mission Directory
---------------------------------------------
His Excellency Duly BRUTUS
Ambassador, Permanent Representative
H. E. Antonio RODRIGUE
Ambassador, Alternate Representative
Mrs. Suze PERCY FILIPPINI
Minister Counselor, Alternate Representative
Ext: 127
Mrs. Joceline BLEMUR
Minister Counselor, Alternate Representative
Ext: 125
Mr. Pierre Daniel LAVIOLETTE
First Secretary, Alternate Representative
Ext: 123
Mr. Paul Prompt Youri EMMANUEL
First Secretary, Alternate Representative
Ext: 124
Ms. Syndie DALCE
Second Secretary
Ext: 120
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leiderman@mindspring.com