Declaration on Haiti. Third Cuba-CARICOM Ministerial Meeting, Havana, Cuba

Special Declaration on Haiti issued by the Third Cuba-CARICOM Ministerial Meeting, 17 September 2010, Havana, Cuba

The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Cuba and the Member States of the Caribbean Community, meeting in Havana on September 17, 2010, on the occasion of the Third Cuba-CARICOM Ministerial Meeting, dedicated special attention to solidarity with Haiti, birthplace of the struggles for independence from colonialism in the region and the first nation to abolish slavery.

They expressed appreciation for the overwhelming display of support and solidarity which was extended to Haiti by the peoples and governments of the Caribbean and Latin America, and the wider international community, after the devastating earthquake that ravaged Haiti on January 12, 2010.

They recognized the pivotal role of the Special Representative of CARICOM Heads of Government on Haiti in advocating on behalf of CARICOM and by extension, the Caribbean, in that country's

They further reiterated their commitment to working closely together, both at the regional and international levels, to promote cooperation that takes into account the difficult conditions and special features of that Caribbean nation.

Consequently, they stressed the need for ongoing dialogue, consultation and collaboration among the countries of the international community in this regard.
This cooperation, they noted, should not be limited to alleviating the current emergency situation confronting the Haitian people but should ensure the sustainable development of Haiti in the long term.

To this end, they underscored the point that for its development, reconstruction and rehabilitation, Haiti needs and deserves a wide-ranging coordinated global effort that can only be possible with a project that is sustainable in the long-run, under the guidance and leadership of the Haitian government and in keeping with the principle of full respect for its sovereignty, accompanied by the firm political will of the nations of the world.

They expressed grave concern with the slow pace at which funds pledged by the international community are being disbursed, and the deleterious impact the lack of resources is having on the government's disaster situation.

To this end, the Foreign Ministers urged the international donor community to make good on the pledges and promises made to Haiti for its recovery and reconstruction. At the regional level, they agreed to grant the highest priority to some of the critical areas that have been deemed as priority by the Haitian Government, in particular, the reconstruction of the health sector, the agricultural sector, the provision of durable shelter, education, tourism, disaster management and the re-building of the institutional infrastructure in Haiti.

In this regard, they recognized the Action Plan for National Recovery and Development of Haiti and the key principles incorporated in that document.

They also endorsed the Program for the Reconstruction and Strengthening of the National Health System of Haiti coordinated by Cuba and including the participation of several CARICOM countries.

They acknowledged the establishment of a CARICOM-Haiti Fund to facilitate the participation of the Regional private sector in the reconstruction and recovery process of Haiti, and expressed their commitment to actively promoting this initiative in regional and international fora.

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Too many meetings not enough actions.The priority right now is to build permanent houses for the people who are still in the tents 9 months after the earthquake.It is a shame that the international community and the haitian government can not moblilize enough brick layers, carpenters, electricians ,plumbers to build some little buildings in different cities of haiti to give the people some reliefs. Haiti needs a program like the Marshall plan that rebuildt europe after the second world war.