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New Projects Valued at US $430 Million demonstrate continued progress in addressing Haiti’s recovery and development needs

Port-au-Prince, Haiti – The Interim Haiti Recovery Commission (IHRC), co-chaired by Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive and President Bill Clinton, reaffirmed in its December 14th meeting its goals and priorities for Haiti reconstruction and announced a new set of projects at its fourth Board meeting held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

The IHRC Board approved 6 new projects; in addition, the Executive Director informed the Board of the approval by the Executive Committee of 12 projects between $1M and $10M and by him of 7 projects of $1M or less, with a total value of $429.8 million. This brings to 74 the total number of projects approved by the IHRC since its inaugural Board meeting in June 2010.

New projects approved or presented by the IHRC at its fourth Board meeting include:

A $174 million project of the United States and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) for a globally-competitive 150-hectare industrial park in the northern region of the country. This project will, in Phase 1 (2012-2014), accommodate approximately 18 000 workers in the garment industry, growing to 65 000 permanent jobs once the Park is fully developed. This park will be owned by GOH and operated by a private sector management company.

A $53.3 million project from USAID to finance new contractor-built communities in the Cap-Haïtien Development Corridor (CHDC) (5 000 units in various sites) and the Port-au-Prince Development Corridor (PPCD) (10 000 units in sites in Croix-des-Bouquets, Cité Soleil and Cabaret).

A $25 million project from USAID for building demolition & debris removal in specific Port-au-Prince neighborhoods, including Nazon, Christ-Roi, Ravine Pintade, Haut Turgeau and others to be determined. This project will incorporate the use of heavy equipment to augment efforts and speed up the relocation of IDPs.

A $22 million project from Canada for the creation, with the help of the Haitian ministry of Agriculture, of a guarantee fund and insurance system for agriculture.

A $10 million World Bank project which will provide technical assistance to the GOH for combating the cholera epidemic by supporting immediate cholera response activities, providing immediate access to basic health services for affected populations and vulnerable groups, increasing health promotion and hygiene awareness and improving access to clean water and sanitation.

A $10 million project from USA for rehabilitation and reintegration of persons with disabilities while building the capacity of governmental and non-governmental institutions to sustainably and effectively support persons with disabilities in the future.

A $2.5 million educational campus project from ProDev in the Village Renaissance in Zoranje (Croix-des-Bouquets) that is designed to be replicated in key locations of the country. This complex will include: school from kindergarten to 4th for up to 480 students; a middle school for 500 students; a vocational school offering various curriculums, such as agriculture and IT; a Cultural center and a Community center with a cyber café and a library.

A $2.0 million job creation project from World Bank that will socially and economically empower Haitian adolescent girls and young women (15-24 years) through cash grants/stipends integrated with models of skills development in order to increase their employability and their earning potential in the future. The goal of the project is to reach at least 3 000 adolescents girls and young women.

The IHRC Board also reported presented a Strategic Plan for the remainder of its mandate in clear target outcomes for October 2011. These targets are:

Housing:

~400,000 people relocated from camps

Debris:

40 % of debris removed

Education:

· Build and staff 250 temporary structures

· Build and staff 60 fundamental schools in communal sections where no public schools exist

· Equip up to 3000 schools (public and private)

· Feed 250,000 children

· Provide up to 500,000 children with an education kit (manuals and uniforms)

· Provide up to 500,000 children with financial assistance in private schools

· Train 5,000 teachers

Energy:

· Increase hours of service for 30,000 urban households by 20%

· Expand electricity service to 10,000 rural households

Health:

· Improve service delivery through targeted reconstructions and constructions of 40 hospitals, 75 clinics and an ambulance network to connect communities to health care services

· Increase the health care workforce through the reconstruction or reinforcement of 4 medical schools, 4 nursing schools and the launch of training programs able to reach 4,000 allied health professionals

· Pilot and expand approaches to healthcare financing including ensuring access to care for children under 5 and expanding access for pregnant women

Job creation:

· Provide full-time employment to hundreds of thousands additional Haitians

· Outside of Port-au-Prince jobs will be mainly created in agriculture, water shed management and road construction

· Within Port-au-Prince jobs will mainly be created housing and debris related development activities

· Begin construction of 2 public and 3 private industrial parks

Water and sanitation:

Bring the sustainable access rate to controlled potable water from 2% to 50%

Bring the access rate to toilet / latrine meeting international standards from some 10% to at least 27%

Capacity building:

Reinforce / create necessary sector tables
Assist ministries in developing strategies and investment plans

Of these, three sector-specific plans were highlighted in detailed presentations to the Board: Debris, Housing and Health, including a brief review of the cholera situation.

The Commission also made a plea to its international partners for the channeling of significantly more funds to the Haitian Recovery Fund so it can truly become vehicle for the Haitian Government-led reconstruction program.

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