Governance

To be fair, the Haitian government is trying to demonstrate the leadership that was absent from the 2010 earthquake response. It is setting priorities and specifying what interventions it will and will not accept from the international community. Still, the government is quite fragile and has limited capacity. Some priorities are being determined not based on the needs of the survivors as much as the needs of the government to show that it has changed. New York Times writer Azam Ahmedoct reflects on how the response to the earthquake is shaping the response to Hurricane Matthew below.

Haiti cannot change that it will always be affected by natural disasters. What the Haitian government and civil society can change is the extent to which it plans, prepares, and mitigates natural disasters. Very little of the assistance Haiti receives is devoted to mitigation. Haiti's partners should expect, encourage and support Haiti so that it is ready for the next hurricane, mudslide, drought, earthquake or other disaster. It may be a week or a year away, but it will come. IRIN Migration Writer Kristy Siegfried explores whether Hurricane Matthew might encourage participation, partnerships, and prevention.

Poverty Inc. is a documentary about the organizations created to address poverty and the extent to which they succeed in doing so.  Haiti features prominently in this documentary and offers cautionary lessons about how sometimes those who claim to be helping Haiti and other countries like it are in reality helping themselves. 

Last month, the U.S. State Department released the 2014 Trafficking in Persons Report.  As in previous years, the report noted serious shortcomings in the Haitian government's efforts to prevent and respond to human trafficking.  There is some good news, though - in 2014 the Haitian government enacted a law to criminalize human trafficking which is a welcome and much-needed step.  The country narrative for Haiti follows below.  

The government of the Dominican Republic recently passed a nationality law which, by no means perfect, represents a step forward in addresssing statelessness.  The main difficulty now lies in its full implementation across the country.  Below is an article by Associated Press writers Ezequiel Abiu Lopez and Danica Coto that notes both positive and negative reactions to the nationality law.   

Below is an article by the International Press Service's Ansel Herz describing upcoming legislative changes that would make it easier for survivors of rape to prosecute their attackers. The reforms have high-level support and could pass within a year.  While much more remains to be done, these reforms would represent significant progress.

Below is an article by Trenton Daniel concerning the increasing use of Haitian Kreyol in schools - which is a good thing.  In a hemisphere dominated by Spanish and English, French remains the language of the Haitian elite.  While true that Haiti has produced artists of note who worked in French, countless children didn't have a chance at a good education because they were instructed in a language neither they nor their teachers were comfortable with.  Learning multiple languages makes sense - but so does being tought in (and proud of) your first language. 

Since 2004, MINUSTAH has played a central but controversial role in maintaining stability in Haiti.   However, MINUSTAH should not and is not going to be in Haiti forever.  The International Crisis Group (ICG) describes steps that can prepare Haitian authorities for when they are fully in the lead without MINUSTAH support.  Key to this effort will be doubling the number of police, with adequate vetting and training, so greater responsibility can be transferred to them over time.  Until then, all plans for reconstituting the army should be tabled.  A summary follows below.

As a result of Constitutional amendments published Tuesday, Haitians abroad now have the right to own land and run for lower levels of offices.  Another amendment specifies that 30% of all government workers should be women.  A new electoral council is also to be created.  The hard work now comes in implementing these changes.  An Associated Press article by Evens Sanon concerning the amendments follows below.

While the World Bank has a mixed record in Haiti, it and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) remain two of the most important multilateral funders of its post earthquake reconstruction.  Yesterday, the World Bank announced $255 million in grants for Haiti which will be focused on strengthening education, agriculture, and disaster risk management – all of which are critical for Haiti’s long term development.  The World Bank press release follows.  More information about its activities in Haiti are available on the World Bank website.