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INSULZA CALLS FOR RENEWED COMMITMENT TO STRENGTHEN INSTITUTIONS IN HAITI

The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, said today that Haiti presents three major challenges to the international community, which have to do with the strengthening of the state apparatus; progress in security and economic development; and the coordination of efforts by organizations working to strengthen the Haitian state in ways that will be effective.

Insulza spoke in Lima, Peru, during a meeting of the nine Latin American countries that make up the United Nations Mission for the Stabilization of Haiti (MINUSTAH), as well as representatives of the UN and the OAS. The meeting analyzed the progress and obstacles encountered in the effort to support the Caribbean country.

“Just over one year after the presidential elections, there is a stable, democratic government, with plans and projects in the works, which is energetically confronting the problem of security,” said Insulza, who cautioned that nevertheless the Haitian political-institutional situation “continues to be marked by instability, nonfunctioning institutions and by growing levels of violence and public insecurity.”

In this regard, the OAS Secretary General expressed the need to renew MINUSTAH’s mandate and noted that this is the time to reconfirm support for efforts to help Haiti, not to talk about deadlines to bring those plans to a close. He said it is important for the countries involved in supporting Haiti to take on new challenges, emphasizing the need to break the vicious cycle that hinders the success of assistance plans for the island nation by tying security issues to the creation of mechanisms for economic development. The weakness of the state apparatus, criminal violence and economic development are closely intertwined, Insulza said, adding that one of the main objectives should be to build the capacity to break this connection and to tackle simultaneously all the elements of this phenomenon that hinders the development of Haitian society.

The Secretary General recognized that since the February 2006 elections, the government of René Préval has shown the political will to change the living conditions of the Haitian people. Insulza underscored in particular the Plan for Social Pacification, which created emergency programs to combat extreme poverty. However, he noted that as long as 66 percent of the national budget relies on international financing, Haiti is forced to depend on external support. Insulza stressed that strengthening the central government should be a priority for international cooperation, adding that until the central power is strengthened, the current situation will not improve. “As long as there is no government capable of controlling public order and advancing economic development plans, the task of international supporters is not completed,” he said.

He went on to explain that until jobs are created, the day-to-day insecurity of the Haitian people has few prospects for a solution, and he noted that the first challenge is to stop the violence, thus stimulating investment that will help generate jobs. “The OAS proposes to develop, through the Inter-American Council for Integral Development, projects that are directly related to socioeconomic development, specifically in areas related to tourism, agro-tourism and reforestation,” Insulza said. He added that it should be possible to substantially improve the quality of public security, of the police and of the judicial and prison systems, in order to create a climate of security and put an end to the economic standstill.

Insulza said the “backbone” of OAS efforts in Haiti in 2007 will be a program related to the civil registry. “The Modernization of the Civil Registry and the Electoral Registry, which will be incorporated into a Permanent Integrated Identification System, will constitute a new phase of OAS assistance to Haiti,” he said. The absence of a document to identify Haitian citizens from birth constitutes one of the biggest problems of a society that has not been able to organize its public apparatus at the most basic level, he said.

During the meeting, which was opened by the Peruvian Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Antonio García Belaúnde, the UN Secretary General’s representative in Haiti, Edmond Mulet, provided a detailed summary of the current situation in Haiti, expressing concern for statistics related to violent crimes.

Insulza will meet tomorrow with Peruvian President Alan García and Foreign Minister García Belaúnde.

Reference: E-043/07