Five months after Haiti’s January 12th earthquake, the situation on the ground remains critical. With the arrival of hurricane season, the failure to provide adequate shelter and instill hope for a better future threatens stability.
Summary
- Five months after Haiti’s January 12th earthquake, the situation on the ground remains critical. With the arrival of hurricane season, the failure to provide adequate shelter and instill hope for a better future threatens stability.
- Donor pledges of more than $5 billion for assistance have not translated into visible progress, fueling discontent and raising growing concern among Haitians about their government’s effectiveness.
- Haiti’s government has tried to exert leadership in recovery operations despite the destruction of government buildings, the death of nearly 25 percent of the civil service personnel and the massive dislocations caused by the earthquake.
- The Haitian government has also begun preparations for presidential and parliamentary elections in November 2010. The combination of faltering recovery at a time of national elections could provoke unrest.
About This Brief
This report is based on views expressed during a June 3, 2010 meeting of the U.S. Institute of Peace's Haiti Working Group on "Haiti: A Forward Look." The meeting featured presentations by Lt. General P.K. Keen, deputy commander, U.S. Southern Command; Auguste Kouame, lead economist for Caribbean Countries, World Bank; Monika Varma, Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights; and Rene Aubourg, assistant professor, School of Public Affairs, American University. Robert Maguire, professor at Trinity Washington University and chairman of USIP's Haiti Working Group, served as moderator. Robert M. Perito, director of the USIP Haiti Project, and Casie Copeland, research assistant in the Center for Post-Conflict Peace and Stability Operations, authored the report.