The conference — sponsored by the Inter-American Development Bank — will consider a two-year economic recovery plan developed by the government of Haitian Prime Minister Michele Duvivier Pierre-Louis, bank spokesman Pablo Bachelet said.
The plan emerged after Haiti — the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere — uncharacteristically enjoyed three consecutive years of economic growth and improved stability.
That growth was interrupted last year, however, by four major tropical storms and spikes in food and fuel prices.
The Brussels-based International Crisis Group, a conflict watchdog, warned last month that deepening poverty and ineffective governance left Haiti at risk for renewed violence and political instability.
The group urged international donors to provide US$3 billion over the next several years to revitalize Haiti’s economy, reduce vulnerability to natural disasters and maintain access to basic services, among other things.
In addition to regular donor countries, Bachelet said, “nontraditional donors,” such as countries in the Persian Gulf area, are expected to attend.
Many of those invited already are working in Haiti, but Bachelet said the conference aimed to ensure projects “align more forcefully with the country’s priorities as outlined in the two-year plan.”
Among those attending the conference are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, and representatives of countries including Canada, France, Spain, Argentina, Brazil and Chile.
Former US president Bill Clinton, representing his personal foundation, and billionaire philanthropist George Soros, representing his Open Society Institute, will also attend the conference.
More than 30 donor countries and international organizations were to consider ways to build on signs of recovery in Haiti at a conference in Washington yesterday.
The conference — sponsored by the Inter-American Development Bank — will consider a two-year economic recovery plan developed by the government of Haitian Prime Minister Michele Duvivier Pierre-Louis, bank spokesman Pablo Bachelet said.
The plan emerged after Haiti — the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere — uncharacteristically enjoyed three consecutive years of economic growth and improved stability.
That growth was interrupted last year, however, by four major tropical storms and spikes in food and fuel prices.
The Brussels-based International Crisis Group, a conflict watchdog, warned last month that deepening poverty and ineffective governance left Haiti at risk for renewed violence and political instability.
The group urged international donors to provide US$3 billion over the next several years to revitalize Haiti’s economy, reduce vulnerability to natural disasters and maintain access to basic services, among other things.
In addition to regular donor countries, Bachelet said, “nontraditional donors,” such as countries in the Persian Gulf area, are expected to attend.
Many of those invited already are working in Haiti, but Bachelet said the conference aimed to ensure projects “align more forcefully with the country’s priorities as outlined in the two-year plan.”
Among those attending the conference are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, and representatives of countries including Canada, France, Spain, Argentina, Brazil and Chile.
Former US president Bill Clinton, representing his personal foundation, and billionaire philanthropist George Soros, representing his Open Society Institute, will also attend the conference.
Russia and Ukraine have exchanged prisoners of war in the latest such swap that saw the release of hundreds of captives and was brokered with the help of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), officials said on Monday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that 189 Ukrainian prisoners, including military personnel, border guards and national guards — along with two civilians — were freed. He thanked the UAE for helping negotiate the exchange. The Russian Ministry of Defense said that 150 Russian troops were freed from captivity as part of the exchange in which each side released 150 people. The reason for the discrepancy in numbers
A shark attack off Egypt’s Red Sea coast killed a tourist and injured another, authorities said on Sunday, with an Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs source identifying both as Italian nationals. “Two foreigners were attacked by a shark in the northern Marsa Alam area, which led to the injury of one and the death of the other,” the Egyptian Ministry of Environment said in a statement. A source at the Italian foreign ministry said that the man killed was a 48-year-old resident of Rome. The injured man was 69 years old. They were both taken to hospital in Port Ghalib, about 50km north
The foreign ministers of Germany, France and Poland on Tuesday expressed concern about “the political crisis” in Georgia, two days after Mikheil Kavelashvili was formally inaugurated as president of the South Caucasus nation, cementing the ruling party’s grip in what the opposition calls a blow to the country’s EU aspirations and a victory for former imperial ruler Russia. “We strongly condemn last week’s violence against peaceful protesters, media and opposition leaders, and recall Georgian authorities’ responsibility to respect human rights and protect fundamental freedoms, including the freedom to assembly and media freedom,” the three ministers wrote in a joint statement. In reaction
BARRIER BLAME: An aviation expert questioned the location of a solid wall past the end of the runway, saying that it was ‘very bad luck for this particular airplane’ A team of US investigators, including representatives from Boeing, on Tuesday examined the site of a plane crash that killed 179 people in South Korea, while authorities were conducting safety inspections on all Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated by the country’s airlines. All but two of the 181 people aboard the Boeing 737-800 operated by South Korean budget airline Jeju Air died in Sunday’s crash. Video showed the aircraft, without its landing gear deployed, crash-landed on its belly and overshoot a runaway at Muan International Airport before it slammed into a barrier and burst into flames. The plane was seen having engine trouble.
RSS