WASHINGTON – The Organization of American States (OAS) will host a forum beginning this Sunday, March 21, to Tuesday, March 23, that will bring together numerous organizations of the Haitian Diaspora in the Americas, representatives of the government of Port-au-Prince and other national governments seeking to develop recommendations for a short-term and long-term recovery plan for the country following the January 12 earthquake.
The “Haitian Diaspora Forum: Contributing to the Strategic Plan for Reconstruction and Development in Haiti” will include the participation of, among others:
• José Miguel Insulza, OAS Secretary General
• Albert R. Ramdin, OAS Assistant Secretary General
• Edwin Paraison, Haiti’s Minister of Haitians living abroad
• Hillary R. Clinton, Secretary of State, United States of America (video)
• Yves Robert Jean, Director General, Ministry of Planning of Haiti
The Diaspora will be represented by diverse social and professional groups, religious groups, non-governmental organizations, the academia and the private sector. Representatives of the Diaspora from various countries are expected to attend.
The Forum will build on the efforts of the international community and the commitments set forth in the Montreal meeting of January 25, 2010, as well as the results of the High-level Technical Meeting of Donor Countries held March 16-17 in the Dominican Republic.
The strategy and recommendations generated by the Haitian Diaspora in the Forum convened by the OAS will be presented in the forthcoming Haiti Donors Conference to be held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on March 31.
