"

International donors discuss rebuilding Haiti

Looking at a 10-year effort

By Nelson A. King

International donors meeting in Montreal agreed on Jan. 25 on a 10-year rebuilding plan for earthquake-ravaged Haiti.

“We’re trying to do this in the correct order,” Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters at the conclusion of the one-day emergency summit.

“Sometimes, people have pledging conferences and pledge money, and they don’t have any idea what they’re going to do with it,” she added.

“We actually think it’s a novel idea to do the needs assessment first and then the planning and then the pledging,” Clinton continued.

The donor nations called for an independent damage assessment, which could begin as early as this week, comprising experts from the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank and the United Nations Development Program.

[SNIP]


Clinton declined to say how much the United States would provide in the long term, stating that the donor nations’ foreign ministers will meet again in March at U.N. headquarters in New York.

More . . .

"

-- Edited by Sanders on Saturday 30th of January 2010 03:39:36 AM