Less than a year after its creation, the Haiti Reconstruction Fund (HRF) has allocated US$237 million to finance 14 reconstruction initiatives, or 71 percent of the US$ 335 million received by donors, according to the Fund’s first Annual Report, released today.
“Strong financial support is essential to ensure that the reconstruction process addresses Haiti’s key priorities in terms of agriculture, job creation, the investment climate, shelter and education. In partnership with institutions such as the HRF, we commit to build back better, efficiently and for the benefit of all Haitians,”said Michel Martelly, President of Haiti.
The HRF finances activities such as infrastructure, repair and construction of housing, education, community development, debris and watershed management, job creation, and budget support to the Government.
Highlights:
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An HRF-funded capacity building program for disaster risk management has evaluated 600 existing evacuation shelters and initiated the rehabilitation and rebuilding of 15 priority shelters.
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A disaster risk reduction project in the southern part of Haiti has mobilized 60 farmer organizations to carry out environmental protection and food security activities.
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The HRF is co-financing the Neighborhood Housing Reconstruction Project, the largest housing project in Haiti’s capital, supervised by the World Bank, and providing funding for the biggest debris removal and recycling program which is administered by the United Nations.
Over the past year, 19 donors contributed a total of US$352 million to the HRF of which US$335 million has already been transferred. Brazil was the first donor with a contribution of US$55 million, the U.S. is the largest donor with US$120 million, and four other donors, (Canada, Japan, Norway, and Spain) contributed at least US$30 million each. This represents 20 percent of the total funding received from bilateral and multilateral donors up to date.
“The HRF is an innovative partnership of diverse stakeholders under Haitian leadership,” said Ronald Baudin, acting Minister of Economy and Finance and Chairperson of the Fund’s Steering Committee. “By rapidly responding to requests from the Interim Haiti Reconstruction Commission, the HRF has transformed a share of the generosity of the international community into investments that deliver results, good governance and increased capacity for the benefits of the Haitian people.”
The HRF was created in June 2010 by the Government of Haiti, the Inter-American Development Bank, the United Nations, the World Bank, and contributing donors. Its role is to mobilize, coordinate and allocate financing for the Government’s post-earthquake “Action Plan for National Recovery and Development of Haiti”. The Interim Haiti Recovery Commission approves all activities funded by the HRF, reflecting the priorities of the Government. The World Bank acts as the Trustee and Secretariat for the Fund.
“In the first year we have built a solid foundation to mobilize and allocate resources effectively. However, huge challenges remain. Many reconstruction needs are urgent and the capacity to implement needs to be strengthened,” said Josef Leitmann, the Manager of the HRF.
Going forward, the HRF will continue to raise additional funding and report on how these resources are producing results on the ground while encouraging donors to allow the Government greater flexibility to use HRF resources for its most pressing priorities.