Debt forgiveness for Haiti by mid-2009

By Melissa Bryant
Reporter-SKNVibes.com

Robert Zoellick

According to BBC Caribbean, Zoellick held meetings with President René Prèval, other government officials, donors, civil society, the private sector and members of the Haitian Cabinet. He also visited the areas affected by the recent storms, including the worst-hit city of Gonaives and several World Bank-sponsored projects.

Discussion topics included Haiti’s disaster coordination and response, and food security and agriculture. There was also analysis of the country’s economic perspective and its medium and long-term development plans.

Zoellick pledged long-term help to prevent the country from falling deeper into crisis, stating that Haiti is on track to have its World Bank debt cancelled by mid-2009, but it needs to meet qualifications such as addressing corruption and increasing public investment and even then, the debt cancellation is up to the bank’s shareholders.

The Bank has pledged $US25M in emergency storm relief grants and millions more have been invested in private companies. Haiti currently owes $540M to the World Bank.    ~~Adz:Right~~

This move comes as Dorrin Rolle, a Miami-Dade County Commissioner, has teamed up with Artists Village Inc., a non-profit organisation, to send $US10M in antibiotics for Haiti’s storm victims. According to Rolle, the antibiotics are sufficient to serve over 200 000 people.

He also hosted a ‘Help for Haiti Relief Concert’ on September 27, which raised $US42 000. Food and clothing were also collected and there are plans to ship and distribute these items to the Caribbean nation.

John Holmes, the United Nation’s (UN) emergency relief coordinator, begins a visit to Port-au-Prince today (Oct. 23). He will meet with government officials and representatives of UN agencies and non-governmental organisations.