National Organization for the Advancement of Haitians
TOWARD A UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT POLICY FOR HAITI
HAITIAN-AMERICAN SUMMIT 2000
SUMMARY OF WORKSHOP TOPICS, JULY 1, 2000
Workshop: Business, Investment and Infrastructure Development
Stated Goal of this
Workshop: to work in partnership with the Haitian public, private and civil
society on the vision of creating I million jobs by the year 2010 in the
appropriate sectors. In order to achieve this vision, the immediate changes
that must take place are:
I . Changes in the environment
to make it conducive to investment;
2. Creation of an Economic
Advisory Board including Haitian expatriate experts;
3. Adopt a plan proposal,
such as the NSDP;
4. Create a-liaison team
between the United States and Haiti;
5. Create a Private Equity
Haitian Development Fund (country fund);
6. Change the image of
Haiti.
Workshop: Judicial System and Security Improvement
During the workshop
on justice and security, repatriation of Haitian convicts from the United
States to Haiti became the focus of the participants. After much discussion,
the workshop participants drafted the following resolution for adoption by
Summit attendees:
"The National
Organization for the Advancement of Haitians finds it is fundamentally unjust
to repatriate individuals who have no meaningful ties, other than birth, with
the country to which they are being repatriated.
The United States
Government's policy of repatriating Haitians who have committed crimes in the
United States is inconsistent with the overall efforts of the U.S. to
strengthen Haiti's judicial, law enforcement and economic development. The
repatriation policy is counterproductive in that it increases the level of
criminality in Haiti; it creates a ready workforce for drug traffickers; it
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