Shortly after the earthquake of January 12th, 2010 a law was passed in Haiti to officially extend the “state of emergency” period, and the Interim Haiti Reconstruction Commission was struck. Lead by former US president Bill Clinton, the IHRC co-chairs include the heads of state for Canada, the US, Spain, France, Brazil and Venezuela, among others – alongside CARICOM, the Inter-American Development Bank, the World Bank, and the UN. Being vested with greater power than the executive branch itself, the mandate of the IHRC is to “conduct strategic planning and coordination and implement resources from bilateral and multilateral donors, non-governmental organizations, and the business sector, with all necessary transparency and accountability. The CIRH will work to optimize the investments and contributions of these entities.” The post disaster needs assessment and plan for reconstruction developed by the IHRC has been widely criticized both nationally and internationally for it’s lack of consultation with the Haitian population in general, and the civil society movement in specific. Despite attempts at coordination, and international conduct charters for humanitarian interventions –  the influx of NGO’s post-earthquake has lead to chaotic and ineffective spending of donated funds, programs and projects that do not appropriately meet the needs of the displaced, and a modus operandi which undermines the sovereignty of the State, and violates Haiti’s right to self-determination in the reconstruction process. In the surge of international assistance the basic human rights of Haitians have been trampled upon.

RNDDH calls upon the government, and all stakeholders to:

  • Respect the HAP standards when conducting humanitarian interventions
  • Take to heart the national reconstruction and the future of the population;
  • Develop, together with the population, and civil society, income generating projects to improve their general living conditions;
  • Provide appropriate shelter for the displaced that meet international standards;
  • Take effective measures to curb the epidemic of cholera in the country;
  • Strengthen health centers, in both neighborhoods near the camps and at relocation sites;
  • Involve national experts in project definition planning, sanitation, rehabilitation of electricity networks, water, roads and build interdepartmental linkages;
  • Adopt and implement a development approach based on human rights;