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Se lè ou nan bezwen ou konn ki moun ki zanmi ou is a well-known adage from Haiti, which translates to “A loyal friend will always be ready to help you in the most trying circumstances.” While it is true that Haitians have had tremendous hardships recently and that there are still many obstacles to overcome, there are a lot of positive reasons to be optimistic. I am thankful that I recently had the chance to visit Haiti and commit to continuing to support the nation’s strong recovery.

I brought this message with me on my most recent trip, my first since becoming the World Bank’s Vice President for Latin America and the Caribbean. Despite the most challenging circumstances throughout my travels, I was amazed by how much was accomplished. Such an earthquake will take place in 2020. The earthquake that struck Haiti brought massive economic and humanitarian destruction. 

To ensure a prompt and targeted response, the World Bank has been actively engaging with the Haitian government in three critical areas ever since. Gathering early intelligence, We were able to discover, evaluate, and present a Global Rapid Damage Estimation Report that outlined the crucial recovery requirements in less than two weeks. In addition, we worked with the UN and EU to undertake a Post Disaster Needs Assessment, which estimated that the earthquake would cost around $2 billion in losses and damages or 11% of Haiti’s 2019-2020 GDP. 

Second, we helped Haiti put together the equipment required for action. We are working with donors and partners to provide a total of $2 billion over the following three years after leveraging an additional $200 million for the earthquake response. 

We are now on track to grant Haiti a fiscal year’s worth of funding records—nearly $500 million more than we had initially been expected to give—thanks to our dedication to the rebuilding effort. Third, we are devoting all of our resources to the recovery effort. This involves ensuring that the required financing gets there as quickly and effectively as feasible. Together with the administration, we will concentrate our efforts in Haiti for the upcoming year on this crucial initiative.

We are aware of historical concerns that the international community occasionally makes more promises than it can keep, notably about the 2010 earthquake. We are steadfastly devoted to ensuring that, despite the current challenging conditions, we identify quick and practical ways to provide aid to those who need it the most, particularly the most vulnerable and in the most isolated places.

Two local facts regretfully provide obstacles to Haiti’s rehabilitation. First, the recovery is taking place as the security situation continues to worsen. For the World Bank’s Haiti initiative to succeed, restoring security is even more crucial than the ambiguous political situation. Strong cooperation with our development partners, particularly the United Nations, the United States, and Canada, would be required to complete this agenda. Second, the economic effects of the COVID-19 epidemic are still a problem for the nation. Lockdowns and containment measures have increased unemployment, poverty, and inequality in 2020 and 2021, similar to other Caribbean nations. 

There are continuous attempts to increase Haiti’s vaccination rate, which is the lowest in the area, to assist the country in emerging from the pandemic’s shadow and to reduce the 60 percent of Haitians who are vaccine-hesitant.

Despite these difficulties, I am optimistic about Haiti’s future. It has been remarkable to see how resilient Haitians have been in the face of ongoing instability and frequent shocks. Haiti has a thriving civil society, a young, active populace, and an affluent diaspora that maintains strong ties to its homeland thanks to remittances. In truth, Haiti has evolved much since the devastating earthquake of 2010, even though it has been a rough decade. This is seen in the way the country responded to the 2021 earthquake.

I was encouraged to see and hear about the new temporary bridge being built quickly adjacent to the one harmed in the earthquake last year outside of Jeremie. A lot has been learned about dealing with natural catastrophe aftermath from prior experiences.

Investments made to improve disaster risk management and civil protection have paid off, especially considering that the tragedy occurred just one month after the terrible killing of President Jovenel Moise and amid extremely complicated political conditions.

The management of health-related shocks, education, infrastructure (including roads, water, and renewable energy), local government (particularly in the domain of public finance), and a plethora of other advancements in recent years can be added to this.

We have a long path ahead of us as a team. To end poverty and promote prosperity in Haiti, we must keep tackling current and enduring issues.

However, every crisis brings about a fresh opportunity. There are several reasons to believe the current situation may be a turning point. The perseverance and progress of Haitians in those above and other fields, including how the international community may support Haiti’s development, greatly assist in reorienting the country toward a more prosperous direction.

An Overview Of Haiti’s Issues In 2020

The Haitian government’s inability to provide for the fundamental necessities of its people, address persistent human rights issues, and respond to humanitarian disasters in 2020 resulted from protracted political instability and gang violence, which frequently had connections to the state.

Since the government’s declaration in July 2018 that it would end gasoline subsidies, widespread civic unrest has essentially crippled Haiti. As proof of misappropriation of monies intended for infrastructure and healthcare under three previous governments, including that of President Jovenel Moise, increased in 2019, protests became more frequent. Police used too much force in their response. Gang and police brutality continued to go unpunished.

In October 2019, the electoral commission postponed the parliamentary elections indefinitely. President Mose has remained in power via executive order since the legislature’s term expired in January 2020. When electoral legislation was not approved by parliament, Mose blamed them for the delay, and his opponents accused him of trying to sabotage the election. In March, amid an uptick in gang violence, the first instances of Covid-19 were verified. As stigmatization and targeted violence against persons thought to be infected suppress care-seeking, the relatively low case counts may be partly attributable to underreporting. The epidemic has made vulnerable groups in society more susceptible. A new penal code, as opposed to the draft law that was presented to parliament in 2017, was decreed by President Mose in June. After being published for 24 months, it will become a law.

• Crime, violence, and instability

Since 1986, Haiti has seen one of its deadliest periods of violence. Between January and August 31, according to the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), there were 944 deliberate killings, 124 kidnappings, and 78 instances of sexual and gender-based violence. At least 159 individuals died from gang violence, including a four-month-old baby.

Claims of political collusion with gangs have exacerbated a sense of insecurity. 98 persons, including 2 top government officials, have been charged by the Inter- American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) with participating in a 2018 gang-related massacre that resulted in the deaths of 71 people and other atrocities in Port-au-La Prince’s Saline district. The perpetrators did so with the support of the authorities, notably Jimmy Cherizier, a police officer who was later sacked and is now in charge of a gang alliance. The UN has urged authorities to prosecute those who are at fault.

In the Bel-Air area, where locals were protesting an increase in gasoline prices in 2019, Cherizier and other National Police also assisted in at least three deaths, six injuries, and the burning of the homes of 30 people, according to BINUH. In 2017, there may have been attacks in the Grande Ravine area by Cherizier. No criminal investigations have been opened against individuals involved as of yet.

The Port-au-Prince bar association’s chairman, Monferrier Dorval, was assassinated on August 29 outside his home, hours after calling for constitutional

reform in a radio broadcast. The Core Group has urged authorities to look into the incident.

On August 31, gangs in Port-au-Bel-Air Prince’s and Delmas districts killed at least 20 people. They set houses on fire, causing at least 1,221 inhabitants to seek refuge in public spaces, including a soccer field. However, the police did not step in to stop the violence. Numerous assaults carried out by armed gangs under the government’s cover have been reported by human rights organizations such as the National Human Rights Defense Network (RNDDH) and Fondasyon Je Klere (FJKL).

• Displacement

In 2020, there were reports of at least 12,000 displaced individuals, the bulk resulting from gang violence and a typhoon in July. Many more displaced persons should have been counted.

Hurricane Matthew in 2016 displaced almost 140,000 households, still requiring proper housing. At least 300,000 people now reside in an unofficial settlement without government monitoring. In comparison, about 33,000 people are still housed in displacement camps from the 2010 earthquake. Authorities have not offered support for their relocation or return or for protecting their fundamental rights within the colony.

• Rights to food, water, and health

Environmental concerns, including significant deforestation, industrial pollution, and restricted access to clean water and sanitary facilities, affect the most disadvantaged people in the nation. International organizations estimate that 4.1 million Haitians, or more than a third of the population, experience food insecurity and that 2.1 percent of children are severely malnourished. In many parts of the nation, low rainfall is a persistent problem made worse by climate change’s increased temperatures.

Cholera has killed nearly 10,000 people and infected more than 819,000 since UN forces first discovered it in 2010. Since the final week of January 2019, increased control measures, including a comprehensive vaccination campaign, have eliminated all confirmed cases. However, two-thirds of the population lack access to adequate sanitation, and over a third lack access to clean water, making Haiti vulnerable to a comeback now to Covid-19.

The Impact Of The COVID-19 Pandemic On Haiti’s Economy And Society Following the Haitian Rebellion, Haiti formally proclaimed independence from France in 1804. The heritage of colonization and slavery is still there, much as in the United States. With a score of 168 out of 187 on the 2014 Human Development Index, Haiti is one of the Western Hemisphere’s nations with the most significant poverty rates. Even though the present political instability has taken precedence, COVID-19’s effects on Haiti’s poverty have been decades in the making. However, external assistance from the US and other nations has been vital in helping Haiti get back on its feet.

Remaining Challenges After The Earthquake

An enormous earthquake that struck Haiti in 2010 left many people without houses or sources of income. The earthquake had a terrible impact on farmers and claimed many lives. Following the earthquake, the island experienced enormous aftershocks that worsened its financial situation. Haiti needed assistance from other nations through money and volunteers to progress. However, a significant percentage of the enormous donations vanished because of corruption. As the world focused on other issues, Haiti was once more forgotten.

After the devastating earthquake in 2010, the island started to make tentative improvements. Extreme poverty decreased from 31% in 2000 to 24% in 2012. However, because of the COVID-19 epidemic, Haiti’s severe poverty rates are rising again. Additionally, many COVID-19 cases have started to appear in the nation, “threaten[ing] to overwhelm Haiti’s weak healthcare system.”

Despite increased reported COVID-19 cases in Haiti, the incidence rate is still low. The current rise was partly caused by easier COVID-19 testing availability. However, as cases

increase, Haiti lacks the resources to purchase COVID-19 vaccinations. It must rely on aid from other governments, including the World Bank.

Haiti is battling COVID-19 while simultaneously enduring political upheaval brought on by the murder of Haitian President Jovenel Moise. Due to more urgent challenges, including kidnappings, political unrest, and natural catastrophes, many people place little attention on COVID-19’s effect on poverty in Haiti.

Following the assassination of President Jovenel Moise, the country is on the edge of a national health emergency. COVID-19’s impact on poverty has lost its status as a top priority because of the ongoing political upheaval in Haiti. Fears of war, famine, corruption and foreign interference have brought the country to a standstill. However, in July 2021, American President Joe Biden donated 500,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine to Haiti. 

According to Dr. Jacqueline Gautier, a national scientific advisory group member on COVID-19 vaccination, many do not think it is worthwhile in practice because COVID- 19 did not significantly affect us. This occurred when rumors about the potential side effects of AstraZeneca’s vaccine spread around the island.

The development and well-being of Haiti depend on the generosity of other nations. Some academics contend that since France has abused Haiti the most, it should have a significant role in providing help to the nation. The absence of vaccination marketing in the nation is another urgent problem. The lack of knowledge and comprehension of the virus and the vaccination has been attributed to the gap between the general populace and health officials. 

It will be crucial for the Haitian government to inform its citizenry about the significance of COVID-19 awareness as it works to keep the nation from degenerating further into conflict.

The COVID-19 problem was mainly resolved thanks to government reform and reorganization under the direction of former Haitian president Jovenel Moise. Unfortunately, President Moise’s passing has ended Haiti’s development. It is now up to the world community to band together and aid Haiti. Haiti still has a chance to increase its immunization rate and contain the COVID-19 epidemic because of vaccine contributions from powerful nations like the United States and China.

Imagine What 2025 And Beyond Could Be For Haiti

• Imagine 2025 when Haiti would finally uphold the same creeds that guided our ancestors some 200 years ago and stop being a laughing stock on the international stage.

• Imagine 2025 is when the state apparatus is equipped with capable citizens, and widespread incompetence will become a thing of the past. The country’s parliamentary body would consist of men and women, driven by a common shared goal and guided by a shared purpose, which would put the country’s interests first.

• Imagine 2025 is when Haitian politicians running for public office do so by love of country, not because they see politics as the only way to personal success.

• Imagine 2025 is the year Haiti would finally be capable of having the proper mechanism in place to assess and regulate the state activities so that credible elections could be organized by and for Haitians free of foreign interference.

• Imagine 2025 is the year Haiti decides to turn from its old ways and rid itself of this institutionalized and endemic corruption that has been systematically established in all state institutions.

• Imagine 2025 is the year international aid dependency becomes a thing of the past; the country can stand on its own, where Haitians would no longer need to go to the neighboring Dominican Republic to live the most humiliating ways of life.

• Imagine 2025 would be the year Haiti decides to invest in literacy so much that the country’s electorate would be educated enough to choose its elected officials wisely and hold them accountable through their votes.

• Imagine the populace would refuse to accept the status quo for what they are, instead envision what they could have been. While I understand these views may be subject to be dismissed as just a utopia, they are nevertheless my heartfelt sentiments and wishes for the country. I am appealing to all who long for the day to see this country returning to its former glory to come together and work for the greater good. The potential impact of democratization, decentralization, and development on Haiti’s future can be significant and far-reaching.

Democratization can bring political stability to Haiti by giving citizens a voice in government and promoting transparency and accountability. A more democratic government could also address the root causes of poverty and inequality and provide better access to education and healthcare.

Decentralization can improve local governance by empowering local communities to make decisions that affect their own lives. This can also reduce corruption, as power and resources are distributed more evenly across the country. 

Decentralization can also create more economic growth and entrepreneurship opportunities by allowing communities to identify and address their own development needs.

Development, particularly sustainable economic development, can improve the quality of life for Haiti’s citizens by reducing poverty, improving access to healthcare and education, and creating job opportunities. This can also help reduce political instability, as people have a stake in the country’s stability and are more likely to participate in the political process. However, it is essential to note that democratization, decentralization, and development are not guaranteed to have positive effects in Haiti. These processes require careful planning and implementation and can only be successful if they are accompanied by ongoing efforts to address corruption, improve governance, and build the capacity of local communities.