Delegates from 28 countries and multilateral organizations participated in the 2009 Haiti Donors Conference.  Given the global economic downturn , now is a tough time to hold such an event.  Donors pledged to provide $324 million in additional aid to Haiti over the next two years, of which $41 million is for budget support in 2009.  Not as much as hoped for, but if the Haitian government can spend it well, this may open doors for increased support from donors later on. 

Below are remarks made by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the Haiti Donors' Conference today.  While the United States provides in kind contributions of food, she notes that this is not the answer to Haiti's hunger.  She instead emphasizes the importance of environmental rehabilitation, agriculture, livelihoods, and infrastructure.  She also highlights the potential of alternative energy.  After the conclusion of the conference, Secretary Clinton will visit Haiti en route to the Summit of the Americas.

Most would agree increasing trade is important for Haiti's long term development.  Where people disagree concerns what kind, how much, and where.  Haiti has never been an easy place to invest, but it has enormous potential due to its large multinational Diaspora, proximity to the United States, vast labor pool, and now the passage of Hope II.  Given these advantages, is Haiti open for business?  

The Miami Herald ran an article concerning Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's upcoming visit to Haiti, which will take place shortly after the International Donors' Conference.  While the visit will be brief, we take this as a welcome sign that Secretary Clinton, whose responsibilities include overseeing the foreign assistance programs of both the State Department and USAID, is interested in and committed to Haiti's development. 

The Haiti Micah Project (HMP) is a non profit organization which is providing one meal per day for 150 vulnerable children in the town of Mirebalais, plus uniforms and tuition for their education and medical care.  Recently, HMP rented a two-building compound to house up to 25 of the most vulnerable, most of whom are street children.  The opening of this facility is scheduled for mid to late April 2009.  In order to expand the program, HMP recently announced the creation of a Child Sponsorship Initiative.

Nicholas Kristof wrote an article on the importance of family planning to poverty reduction. The article revolves around the lives of a woman named Nahomie, her ten children, and the grinding poverty they are facing.  I've copied the article below but you can also read it on his excellent blog ""On the Ground."  After, take a look at the +250 comments posted and consider adding your own.  It is my hope that Nahomie's children will fare better.  With the United States supporting the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) again, perhaps we can yet make that a reality.  

According to Jonathan Katz, public health workers plan to vaccinate some 1 million women and children this week around Haiti's capital after delays exacerbated by food riots and hurricanes.  The effort marks the second phase of an international goal to immunize 5.6 million Haitian children - more than half the country's population - against diseases like polio, measles and rubella.

The French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF) in partnership with S.O.B.’S, PEN World Voices and The Maysles Institute will be holding a number of Haitian cultural events in New York City this May.  There will be musical performances by well known bands such as RAM, screenings of Haitian films, and discussions on different aspects of Haitian culture.  More information is below. 

Something too often missing from coverage of Haitian development challenges are Haitian perspectives.  One of the most pressing concerns remains how to halt and reverse the ongoing environmental degradation.  We kick off the "Ask a Haitian" series by interviewing Abdel Abellard, a Ouanminthe based expert in Sustainable Development and Conservation Biology, in order to find out what has and has not been working in Haiti.  

President Obama is in the United Kingdom this week as part of the  G20 Summit.  As Nicholas Kristof wrote an op-ed, more is at stake than banks.  According to World Bank estimates, the global economic crisis will cause an additional 22 children to die per hour, throughout all of 2009.  Robert Zoellick, President of the World Bank, stated, “In London, Washington and Paris, people talk of bonuses or no bonuses...In parts of Africa, South Asia and Latin America, the struggle is for food or no food.”