NOAH-Haiti & Civil Society Meeting

Date: 28 January 2010

Location: La Reserve

Meeting Coordinator: Alix Baptiste/NOAH-Haiti

Attendees: Civil Society; political reps/party*; youth/women groups; religious groups: Catholic, Protestant, Voodoo; private *political party reps with NGO branches or equivalent

See attached list of attendees’ page 3.

Guests:Rockfeler Hérissé/USAID-Washington;Edgard Rosemond/USAID-Haiti

Introduction : Alix Baptiste

Prayer: Mgr. André Pierre

Remarks and recommandations:

1. Leadership building for improving aid effectiveness: May the quake related tragic events serve as a catalyst (consensus) to ignite and drive all sectors to unite toward a common goal(s): “Penser Pays”. Take advantage of the event to build a strong leadership within the country.

2. Leverage civil society resources: Help consolidate the civil society to effectively play its role; encourage the GOH to work closely with civil society on issues of national interest like disaster, or at least facilitate their working together to address the nation’s needs.

Recommendation: Rebuilding Haiti will require a joint AGOH-Civil Society program and action.

3. Need to instate/rebuild the administrative functions of the Haitian State (Note: Public Institutions were weak well before the quakes).

Recommendation: Help reinstate / establish the administrative functions of the State.

4. Rebuild the private sector capacity: Donor funding should strongly consider and implement a recapitalizing plan of the private & informal sectors – to stabilize the economy/employment.

Recommendation: Prepare a recapitalization plan and funding.

5. Reconsider USG approach to aid management: USG efforts could have a much better impact if the GOH was working together with the civil society. The rebuilding efforts should be a national initiative.

Recommendation: Facilitate joint GOH-Civil Society planning and action. Civil Society sectors need to form a consortium.

6. Avoid demonizing the private sector: small and medium enterprises are the backbone of the economy and provide means of living to a significant number of workers across the country.  Portion of “air-drops” (supplies) should be secured (purchase) through local suppliers if they are available locally.

Recommendation: Keep afloat the local economy by purchasing local goods for quake victims.

7. Decentralization: IDPs (internally displaced people) have relocated to other cities outside of PAP. The challenge is to quickly provide jobs and income generating activities in secondary cities so they can: A) - afford basic services and goods needed; B) - IDP to be encouraged to make temporary move a permanent one. It is also urgent to empower local authorities to deliver public services with accountability and not to circumvent their functions with NGOs.

Recommendation: Elaborate economic generator activities in key locations outside PAP.

8. Discrimination towards Voodoo religious sector: food aid distribution is discriminated against voodoo practitioners.

Recommendation: Donors to encourage their NGO network/clusters to avoid exclusion practices in aid distribution.

9. Reconstruction Funding sources: Preliminary estimates for reconstruction cite $10 billion. Current pledges barely come up with 10% of it ($1 billion). When to find the remaining funding? Most probably from the private sector, and scaled over the years.

Recommendation: Foreign assistance should target reinforcing private sector role/capacity.

10. Civil Protection Structure: The civil protection structure could have played an effective role after the quake, have it not been dismantled and replaced by commissions before the disaster happened.

Recommendation: Help reinstate the civil protection structure and reinforce its capacity to address current/future disasters.

11. Motion to use NOAH-Haiti (Alix Baptiste) as facilitator for the “Consortium”.

Recommendation: Motion carried. Next meeting call for Monday February 01, 2010.

12. The political leaning members in attendance asked that NOAH facilitate a meeting of this kind for all the political parties and invite USG Reps/USAID counterparts.

Recommendation: Mr. Rockfeler Herisse/USAID Rep. to take message back to USG/USAID and advise NOAH accordingly as to when those responsible for the political sector within USG/USAID may be assigned to meet with all political parties.  Mr. Charles Baker, Jean Henry Ceant, Dr. Mesadieu, Past. Jeune and Mr. Desmornes to assist with invites.

Motion to adjourn meeting.