The government of Colombia signed an agreement and has already transferred US$3.2 million to the Haiti Reconstruction Fund (HRF) following anannouncement made during the Summit for the Future of Haiti, held on June 2nd in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Colombia is the second South American country to join the HRF, after Brazil. Other contributors tothe HRF include Norway, Australia, and Estonia.
“We are interested incontributing to the development of the Cabaret region, including reconstruction efforts, redesigning of territorial division, institutional capacity initiatives, and sustainable agricultural projects under the leadership of Haitian authorities. We hope that this initial contribution to the HRF will spur local development in this promising area”, said Everardo Murillo, Special Ambassador of Colombia for the Reconstruction of Haiti.
The Colombian government pledged a total of US$100 million for Haiti’s reconstruction. An additionalUS$0.8 million will be soon transferred to the HRF, and the remaining US$96 million issubject to Congress approval. “Colombia has valuable experience in post-disaster management, particularly after the successful reconstruction program for its coffee growing area, which was severely affected by an earthquake in early 1999. We aim to share our lessons with Haiti, and we are exploring mechanisms to make this south-south collaboration possible”, said Carolina Rentería, Executive Director for Colombia to the World Bank.
Mr. Juan Manuel Santos, recently elected President of Colombia, is planning to visit Port au Prince in the near future, and is expected to be joined by the President of the Dominican Republic, Leonel Fernández.