OAS Secretary General Backs Interim Haiti Recovery Commission (IHRC; seeks support for President Martelly

PORT AU PRINCE – The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, today offered strong backing for the work of the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission (IHRC) and called on all sectors of the country and cooperating countries to support the plans for reconstruction to be undertaken by the Government of President Michel Martelly.

At a meeting of the IHRC opened by President Martelly and directed by Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive and former United States President Bill Clinton, Secretary General Insulza said the reality lived in the Caribbean country imposes the need for a great national agreement to provide a solid basis for the planning to come out of the work of the IHRC in support of the reconstruction following the earthquake that struck the country in January 2010 and to strengthen democracy.

The head of the OAS asserted that with the change of government of former President René Préval to President Martelly a new stage opens in Haiti “marked by great challenges” that demand the executive and legislative powers to reach agreements that strengthen the country’s governance. On this, he suggested that in a view towards making progress on socioeconomic development it is fundamental to have a national agreement between the Government and all the political forces on basic issues, such as reforming education and the generation of public policies on this and other issues.

Secretary General Insulza highlighted the responsibility of all Haitian political stakeholders to start a dialogue that allows for governance and for achieving common points on important matters for the population. For the Government to be effective, he said, it will be necessary to search for new forms of policy-making and achieving compromise between the executive and legislative powers. In this direction, he argued, dialogue is essential.

Ensuring this pact in Haiti is crucial for leading the country towards a road of social peace, economic development and democratic governance, the head of the hemispheric Organization asserted. To establish such a policy, he added, it is necessary to sustain it with a specific societal project, where the values of democracy, justice and citizenship are ensured with short- and long-term concrete objectives.

Elaborating on this topic, the OAS representative said this Organization continues to be committed and involved with Haiti on projects of great scope such as the civil and electoral registries, and moving forward with a project of great impact like the property cadastre, all of which not only seek to strengthen democratic institutions, but also open incalculable possibilities of foreign investment in the country, and job creation as a result.

Secretary General Insulza made special emphasis on the registration of persons in a comprehensive Civil Registry. This project allows not only to identify a person, but to give him or her citizenship, that is, so that the citizen may make full use of his or her constitutional rights, especially though not exclusively of the right to vote, and at the same time provide each citizen the legal mantle to defend his rights before the law, something that is essential to give sustenance to the political pact.

On the land registry, he said the cadastre is another pillar of Haiti’s future plans, in extending the legal basis to private as well as public property in the reconstruction and planning of its national territory, which will allow not only economic development, but also a greater institutional capacity for planning, tax collection, and a reduction in the number of disputes through the expansion and application of the Rule of Law.

Going back to his central point, the head of the OAS called on the Haitian private sector to commit to the development plans designed by the Government of President Martelly, since in his judgment the public-private partnership is basic in making economic progress for the nation.

Finally, the Secretary General called on improving the channeling of resources from international cooperation, which are fundamental for the reconstruction, and called this effort an unavoidable challenge. He said doubts about the administration of resources must be cleared through coordinated and transparent action, and he praised the announcement by former President Clinton on the creation of special mechanisms for improving this action.