Number 9, August 2010
briefing paper
Rebuilding Haiti: Making Aid Work
Better for the Haitian People
by Diana Aubourg Millner
Lane Harthill/CRS
Key Points
• The U.S. response to the earthquake was swift, leading a massive humanitarian
relief operation in the aftermath of one of the most catastrophic natural disasters
in modern history.
• Months after the January earthquake, there is strong momentum to rebuild
Haiti’s agriculture sector, ongoing engagement with the Haitian government,
and a sense that Haiti is still a top priority.
• The mechanisms driving Haiti’s recovery must prioritize meaningful civil society
participation, promote real transparency, and not compromise broader goals for
quick short-term results.
• The United States must lead by example. Our policies and programs should
be more coordinated, focus on building Haitian capacity, and make long-term
development the primary objective.
• In Haiti, we need to think in years, not months, to measure the effectiveness of
post-earthquake aid. But our work in Haiti should ultimately result in concrete,
sustainable, and measurable outcomes on the ground for Haitian people.
Diana Aubourg Millner is senior foreign assistance policy analyst for Bread for the World Institute.
Bread for the World Institute provides
policy analysis on hunger and strategies
to end it. The Institute educates its advocacy network, opinion leaders, policy
makers and the public about hunger in
the United States and abroad.
www.bread.org
Abstract
With unprecedented levels of
goodwill, focus, and commitment
to Haiti, there are still enormous
hurdles in laying the groundwork
for a country-led recovery. Haiti’s
10-year national reconstruction
plan includes a multi-donor trust
fund and an interim reconstruction authority to oversee rebuilding. These global mechanisms
driving Haiti’s recovery must prioritize civil society participation,
promote real transparency, and
not compromise broader goals for
quick short-term results. The U.S.
strategy in Haiti must strengthen
Haitian government capacity at
each stage of the recovery process, focus on poverty reduction
and sustainable economic growth,
and make long-term development
the primary objective. We need a
strong development agency to carry out our objectives in supporting
Haiti’s long-term reconstruction;
USAID should be fully equipped
to lead U.S. government efforts in
Haiti. Our work in Haiti should
ultimately result in concrete, measurable, and sustainable outcomes
on the ground for Haitian people.