action plan national recovery haiti

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Action plan for national recovery and development of Haiti
Table of contents
Action Plan for National Recovery and Development of Haiti
PREFACE .................................................................................................3
1. INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................5
2. THE SITUATION: PDNA SUMMARY .............................................................6
2.1 The disaster and its impacts ...........................................................................6
2.2 Damage, losses and requirements .....................................................................7
3. VISION AND APPROACH FOR HAITI’S REBUILDING ........................................8
4. IMMEDIATE ACTIONS FOR THE FUTURE ..................................................... 10
4.1 TERRITORIAL REBUILDING ................................................................... 12
4.1.1 Reconstruction of devastated zones ............................................................12
4.1.2 National transport network ........................................................................13
4.1.3 Preparation for the hurricane season and disaster risk management ..................15
4.1.4 Regional development centres and urban renovation ......................................16
4.1.5 National planning and local development .....................................................18
4.1.6 Watershed management .............................................................................19
4.2 ECONOMIC REBUILDING ...................................................................... 21
4.2.1 Agricultural production .............................................................................22
4.2.2 Investment and access to credit .................................................................24
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4.2.3 Private sector ..........................................................................................26
4.2.4 Access to electricity .................................................................................27
4.2.5 The role of the Haitian Diaspora .................................................................28
4.3 SOCIAL REBUILDING .......................................................................... 31
4.3.1 Housing for the population: temporary and permanent ...................................32
4.3.2 Creation of high-intensity labour jobs .........................................................32
4.3.3 Social protection ......................................................................................34
4.3.4 Recovery of the cultural sector ...................................................................34
4.3.5 Education: Returning to school and school construction .................................36
4.3.6 Healthcare, food security and nutrition, water and sanitation .........................37
4.4 INSTITUTIONAL REBUILDING ............................................................... 42
4.4.1 Democratic institutions .............................................................................42
4.4.2 Relaunching central administrations: salaries, relocation, equipment ................42
4.4.3 Justice and security ..................................................................................45
4.5 TOTAL TABLE OF COSTS ....................................................................... 47
5. THE MACROECONOMIC FRAMEWORK 2009 - 2015 ....................................... 47
5.1 Context, priorities and challenges ..................................................................47
5.2 Macroeceonomic objectives for 2015 ..............................................................48
5.3 Job and growth policy .................................................................................48
5.4 Fiscal and budgetary policy ..........................................................................49
5.5 Monetary and exchange rate policy ................................................................49

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Action plan for national recovery and development of Haiti
6. FUNDING MECHANISMS ........................................................................50
6.1 Budget support ...........................................................................................50
6.2 Funding from bilateral donors .......................................................................52
6.3 Funds managed by and through NGOs .............................................................53
7. MANAGEMENT AND RECONSTRUCTION STRUCTURES ................................... 53
7.1 The Haitian Interim Reconstruction Commission (HIRC) ....................................54
7.1.1 Mission and mandate of the HIRC ...............................................................54
7.1.2 Composition of the HIRC ...........................................................................54
7.1.3 Sectretariat of the HIRC ............................................................................55
7.2 Haiti’s reconstruction and development fund .................................................55
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Action plan for national recovery and development of Haiti
PREFACE
The Action Plan for National Recovery and Development of Haiti that we are presenting to our partners
in the international community indicates the requirements to be fulfilled so that the earthquake,
devastating as it was, turns into a window of opportunity so that, in the Head of State’s words, the
country can be reconstructed. This is a rendezvous with history that Haiti cannot miss. We must obtain
results; we owe it to our children and our children’s children.
The solidarity expressed spontaneously in the hours following the disaster by Haitian men and women at
home and abroad, as well as by the international community towards our people, gives us the confidence
we need in this historic duty.
The plan that we are putting forward is based on a joint effort of reflection and consultation. In
diplomatic circles, formal and constructive talks have made us aware of the expectations of our
international partners and allowed us to explain to them our choices for the future. On technical issues,
national officials, supported by international experts, have carried out an assessment of damage and
losses as part of the PDNA (Post Disaster Needs Assessment), which is an integral part of this plan.
This proposal is Haitian because, despite the very tight schedule, key sectors of Haitian society were
consulted. This is the same for all Haitians living abroad who have mobilised themselves and have shown
that their commitment to the future of the country remains a strong binding factor of active solidarity.
These efforts and consultations are ongoing and will continue in the weeks and months ahead.
We must learn from this national tragedy, which is why the proposal not only encompasses the affected
areas but also calls for structural changes affecting the entire national territory. We must reverse the
spiral of vulnerability by protecting our people from natural disasters, managing our water catchment
areas to make them safe and productive in a sustainable way, and stimulating the development of
regional centres that can provide quality of life and future prospects for a growing population.
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The challenge that lies ahead is enormous. This is why, as the Secretary-General of the OECD and
the Chairman of the Development Assistance Committee has pointed out, we must find new ways to
cooperate, based on the principles of the Paris Declaration and those pertaining to operations in Fragile
States, particularly by making the strengthening of the state central to our action.
With this in mind, we must strengthen the links between all regions of the country and encourage the
strengthening of the regional partnerships that will create opportunities for change all over the country,
the Caribbean and beyond.
We need to connect these regions using not only a network of roads but also adequate port and airport
facilities and a range of public services that are suited to economic and social development needs,
particularly in terms of education and access to quality healthcare services.
We must act now, but with a clear vision for the future. We need to agree on a short-term program, while
creating mechanisms that enable us to prepare and implement detailed programmes and projects that will
lead to clear action within a ten-year timeframe.
We understand the importance of reviewing our political, economic and social governance. We pledge to
act in this regard.

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Action plan for national recovery and development of Haiti
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(credit: UN Photo/Pasqual Gorriz)

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Action plan for national recovery and development of Haiti
1. INTRODUCTION
The earthquake on 12 January 2010 struck Haiti at the heart of its capital, Port-au-Prince, as well as
in the towns of Léogâne, Jacmel and Petit-Goâve. The damage and losses, which grew every day, are
estimated to be nearly 8 billion USD according to the assessment of losses and damage made in the last
few weeks.
Very soon after the earthquake it was obvious that such a toll could not be the outcome of just the force
of the tremor. It is due to an excessively dense population, a lack of adequate building standards, the
disastrous state of the environment, disorganised land use, and an unbalanced division of economic
activity. The capital city accounts for more than 65percent of the country’s economic activity and
85 percent of Haiti’s tax revenue.
Rebuilding Haiti does not mean returning to the situation that prevailed before the earthquake. It means
addressing all these areas of vulnerability, so that the vagaries of nature or natural disasters never again
inflict such suffering or cause so much damage and loss.
The plan that has been put forward is inspired by a vision that goes beyond a response to the losses and
damage caused by the earthquake, even though it proposes action to be taken over the next 18 months
and estimates costs over this period. It aims to launch a number of key initiatives to act now while
creating the conditions to tackle the structural causes of Haiti’s under-development.
The situation that the country is facing is difficult but not desperate. In many ways it is an opportunity
to unite Haitians of all classes and origins in a shared project to rebuild the country on new foundations.
Nobody has been spared, and no one can pick themselves up again alone. We must build on this new
solidarity which is expected to trigger profound changes in behaviour and attitudes.
That is why the plan being put forward is not exclusively a state, Government, or Parliament plan. It is
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a plan for all sectors of Haitian society where everyone is called upon to play a role in searching for the
collective interest that is ultimately the best guarantee of individual interests in an inclusive society.
The priorities of the Action Plan for National Recovery and Development are responding to the
urgent situation immediately, relaunching economic, governmental, and social activity, reducing
Haiti’s vulnerability to natural disasters, and putting Haiti back on the road to development.
The plan is divided into two phases. The first is in the immediate future, which lasts 18 months, covers
the end of the emergency period and includes preparation for projects to generate genuine renewal. The
second stage has a time horizon of ten years, allowing it to take into account three programming cycles
of the National Strategy for Growth and Poverty Reduction.
This is why the plan proposes to set up a Temporary Committee for Rebuilding Haiti, which will
eventually become the Agency for the Development of Haiti, and a Multiple Donor Fiduciary Fund that will
enable the preparation of files, the formulation of programmes and projects as well as their financing and
execution, all with a coordinated and coherent approach.
The plan focuses primarily on activities financed by public aid for development since it is the outcome
of a meeting held by donors. It still leaves plenty of room for other actors in the business and private
sectors and NGOs, who are essential players in Haiti’s renewal. It puts forward a macro-economic
framework based on growth and a series of measures to facilitate wealth creation by the private sector.

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Action plan for national recovery and development of Haiti
A continuity to be ensured
Haiti has undertaken a political journey to regain full national sovereignty since constitutional rule
was restored in 2006. This journey included efforts to guarantee political stability, to make existing
democratic institutions work, to establish those provided for in the constitution but that did not exist,
and to relaunch national growth.
The process undertaken in recent years must continue. The objectives are still entirely relevant. The
earthquake must not obscure the desired goal: building a democratic Haiti that is inclusive and
respectful of human rights.
This is why the electoral process will be reinstated as soon as the conditions are right for credible
elections to be held, and all efforts will be made to try to adhere to the constitutional calendar.
The state is also committed to keeping up its efforts in the fight against corruption, and to establish
mechanisms capable of ensure the greatest amount of transparency in the management of public funds.
In the development phase, programmes and projects that are underway must be pursued when they
are already part of the PARDN or redirected so that they are. The momentum created since 2006 must
not stop. It is important to maintain the highest possible level of activity throughout the country, in
particular to continue and complete the road network, support agricultural productions and expand the
supply of basic services to the population.
Haiti’s expectations from the international community
Haiti expects the international community to reiterate its long-term commitment to support the country
during reconstruction and to do so with respect for the Haitian leadership.
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Haiti asks its international partners to urgently mobilise the financial resources required to respond to
the emergency. To do this, we must create jobs, re-house disaster victims, open schools and higher-
education institutions in preparation for the new school year, provide access to healthcare, prepare for
the hurricane season, bridge the gap in state tax revenues, restart the administration, and boost the
economic channels.
Funds must be made available for this purpose over a period of ten to eighteen months. Budget support
is an emergency and can be considered an appropriate financial mechanism in these circumstances
while waiting for scheduled mechanisms to be set up: the Trust Fund and the Interim Committee for the
Reconstruction of Haiti.
2. THE SITUATION: PDNA SUMMARY
This Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) was carried out by a joint team of national and international
experts, who were actively assisted by representatives of NGOs and the Haitian civil society.
This section summarises the assessment’s conclusions. Detailed information on losses and damage are
provided separately in an appendix to this document.
2.1 The disaster and its impacts
On 12 January 2010, shortly before 5:00 pm, an earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale
struck Haiti for 35 seconds. It was the most powerful earthquake to hit the country in 200 years. The
hypocentre of the earthquake was near the earth’s surface (at a depth of 10 km) and its epicentre was
near the town of Léogâne, about 17 km south west of the capital. The effects were felt in the Ouest, Sud-
Est and Nippes departments. The Port-au-Prince metropolitan area (including the towns of Port-au-Prince,
Carrefour, Pétionville, Delmas, Tabarre, Cité-Soleil and Kenscoff) suffered a substantial amount of damage.
Eighty percent of the town of Léogâne was destroyed.

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Action plan for national recovery and development of Haiti
The earthquake has created a situation without precedent, made worse by the fact that it hit the
country’s most populated area as well as its economic and administrative centre. The situation is even
more tragic because for the last three years Haiti has experienced stability in terms of society, politics,
security, economic growth and a nascent improvement in living conditions.
IMPACT ON HUMAN LIFE
The human impact is immense. Roughly 1.5 million people, i.e. 15 percent of the national population,
were directly affected. According to the national authorities, more than 300 000 died and as many were
injured. About 1.3 million people are living in temporary shelters in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan
area. Over 600,000 people have left the affected areas to seek shelter elsewhere in the country. Existing
problems in providing access to food and basic services have been exacerbated. By striking at the very
heart of the Haitian economy and administration, the earthquake has had a severe effect on human and
institutional capacities, both the public and the private sector, as well as international technical and
financial partners and some non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
IMPACT ON INFRASTRUCTURE
The destruction of infrastructure is colossal. About 105,000 homes were totally destroyed and over
208,000 were damaged. More than 1,300 educational institutions and more than 50 hospitals and health
centres have collapsed or are unusable. The country’s main port cannot be used. The Presidential Palace,
Parliament, law courts, and most ministerial and public administration buildings have been destroyed.
IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT
Although environmental indicators were already at warning levels, the earthquake has put further
pressure on the environment and natural resources, thus increasing the extreme vulnerability of the
Haitian people.
2.2 Damage, losses and requirements
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To prepare estimates of damage, losses and requirements, about 250 national and international experts
have worked for nearly a month, in eight theme groups: governance, environment and risk and disaster
management, social sectors, infrastructure, production, cross-cutting themes, territorial development and
macro-economic analysis.
The estimate of damage, losses, economic impact and requirements was carried out as follows:
• Damages are estimated at the replacement value of physical assets completely or partially
destroyed, built using the same standards that prevailed before the disaster;
• Losses are estimated from the economic flow resulting from the temporary absence of the
damaged assets;
• The impact of the disaster on economic performance, employment and poverty was assessed
using damage and loss estimates;
• Requirements include the recovery, reconstruction and rebuilding of Haiti.
Overall damage and losses caused by the earthquake on 12 January 2010 are estimated to be USD 7.9
billion, which is just over 120percent of the country’s GDP in 2009. In fact, since the DALA method for
estimating damage and losses was first devised 35 years ago, this is the first time that the cost of a
disaster is so high in relation to the country’s economy.
Most damage and losses were felt by the private sector (USD 5.5 billion, i.e. 70percent), whereas there
was USD 2.4 billion of damage and losses in the public sector (i.e. 30percent of the total).
The value of destroyed physical assets, including housing units, schools, hospitals, buildings, roads,
bridges, ports and airports, is estimated to be USD 4.3 billion (55percent of the overall cost of the
disaster). The effect on economic flows (production losses, reduction of turnover, loss of employment and
wages, increase in production costs, etc.) was USD 3.6 billion (equivalent to 45percent of total).

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Action plan for national recovery and development of Haiti
Housing is undoubtedly the sector most affected by the earthquake, since overall damage amounted to
USD 2.3 billion. This figure includes destruction of different types and qualities of housing units, the
value of partially damaged houses and household goods. Losses to the housing sector are estimated
to be USD 739 million. The housing sector therefore represents about 40percent of the effects of the
earthquake. The other sectors affected, in order of decreasing importance, are trade (damage and losses
of USD 639 million, or 8percent of the total), transport and public administration buildings (USD 595
million each), and education and health (with an average of 6percent of the total).
The total value of requirements is 11.5 billion USD, broken down as follows: 50percent for the social
sectors, 17percent for infrastructure, including housing, and 15percent for environment and risk and
disaster management. The needs assessment was carried out as described above, from based on the work
of the 8 theme groups. (These estimates have not yet been prioritized or validated by the Government.
These constitute a first step of a more thorough undertaking for the donor conference taking place in
New York on 31 March 2010).
3. VISION AND APPROACH FOR HAITI’S REBUILDING
The Haitian Head of State defined the country’s long-term vision for development in the following terms:
We will rebuild Haiti by turning the disaster on 12 January 2010 into an opportunity to make it an
emerging country by 2030.
This restructuring will be marked by:
• A fair, just, united and friendly society living in harmony with its environment and culture;
a modern society characterised by the rule of law, freedom of association and expression and
land management.
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• A society with a modern, diversified, strong, dynamic, competitive, open and inclusive
economy based on the land.
• A society in which people’s basic needs are met quantitatively and qualitatively.
• A knowledge-based society with universal access to basic education, mastery of qualifications
based on a relevant professional training system, and the capacity for scientific and technical
innovation fed by a modern and efficient university system, in order to create the new type of
citizen the country needs for reconstruction.
• All of this, under the supervision of a responsible, unitary state guaranteeing the
implementation of laws and the interests of the people with a strong commitment to
deconcentration and decentralisation.
He continued by stating that to ensure consistency in these actions, the Government has drawn up a
framework for reconstruction, based on the various proposals received, that will focus on four main areas:
1. Territorial rebuilding, including identifying, planning and managing new development centres,
stimulating local development, rebuilding affected areas, implementing economic infrastructure required
for growth (roads, energy and communication), and managing land tenure, in order to protect property
and facilitate the advancement of large projects.
2. Economic rebuilding, which, along with developing key sectors, will aim to modernise the various
components of the agricultural sector, providing an export potential in terms of fruits and tubers,
livestock farming and fishing, in the interests of food security; develop the professional construction
sector with laws and regulations relating to earthquake-resistant and hurricane-resistant materials and
implementation and control structures; promote manufacturing industries; and organise the development
of tourism.

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Action plan for national recovery and development of Haiti
3. Social rebuilding to prioritise a system of education guaranteeing access to education for all children,
offering vocational and university education to meet the demands of economic modernisation, and a
health system ensuring minimum coverage throughout the country and social protection for the most
vulnerable workers.
4. Institutional rebuilding that will immediately focus on making state institutions operational again
by prioritising the most essential functions; redefining our legal and regulatory framework to better adapt
it to our requirements; implementing a structure that will have the power to manage reconstruction; and
establishing a culture of transparency and accountability that deters corruption in our country.
This ideal, to be reached within 20, years calls for the mobilisation of all efforts and all resources to
“make a qualitative change”, the theme of the National Strategy for Growth and Poverty Reduction in
November 2007. This strategy remains an important reference point in setting objectives.
However, the earthquake on 12 January necessitated a break with previous approaches. The scale of
the problems to be solved and the means to be mobilised call for new types of action, a new form of
cooperation and joint responsibility between Haiti and the international community in the results to be
achieved.
The action plan must combine the pressing need to act now by providing the structural growth conditions
required in the long-term. Below is a description of the three main phases of planned action, i.e.
the periods during which Haiti must request support from the international community so that this
reconstruction, which is a historical duty for each Haitian, can occur.
• The emergency period, which must be used to improve accommodation for the homeless; to
return pupils to school and students to university and vocational training centres; to prepare
for the next hurricane season in the summer; to pursue efforts to restore a sense of normality
to economic life, especially by creating large numbers of jobs through high-intensity work, by
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guaranteeing stability in the financial sector and access to credit for SMEs; and to continue
to reorganise state structures. During this period, it will be necessary to work on development
strategies and plans for selected new economic centres; to pursue action in favour of
equipping reception zones for those who have been displaced by the earthquake; and to set
up an electoral process to avoid constitutional gaps.
• The implementation period (18 months), for projects to kick-start the future of Haiti and
establish a framework of incentives and supervision for private investment on which Haiti’s
economic growth will be founded. As foreseen by various analyses and assessments, private
investment in the economy as well as in the social sector will form the backbone of the
country’s reconstruction. Among the commitments of donors, support will be given to the
private sector to provide it with the capacity required to fulfil this role.
• The period (10 years) during which the reconstruction and recovery of Haiti will become a
reality, in order to put the country back on the road to development, followed by another ten
years to make it a real emerging country.
The New York conference should allow Haiti’s international partners to commit resolutely to the first two
periods and to accept the principle of long-term support so that the mutual responsibility pact agreed in
Madrid in 2006 will become a reality.
The technical meeting in Santo Domingo has already paved the way in this direction by identifying two
specific packages, i.e. budgetary support of USD 350 million in addition to the current budget and a
commitment to provide USD 3.8 billion during the following period.

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