Détails

Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti

Création : 16 février 2016

 Jocelerme Privert takes the oath as temporary president of the Republic

On February 14th, the Parliament elected one of its own, 62 year-old Jocelerme Privert, as temporary president of Haiti, to fill the void created by the departure of former head of state Michel Martelly, who left on February 7^th, according to his mandate. Privert’s election was quickly followed by his swearing-in and the handover of the presidential banner.

Haiti now has a new temporary president of the republic. Privert received 77 votes among which 64 came from the chamber of deputies and 13 came from the senate. The senator from Nippes who has had a career of 35 years in public service, promises to properly lead the electoral process and to form a government of consensus to improve the living conditions of the population. He is committed to meeting all of the vital sectors of the nation in order to bring a wide consensus.

HUNGER AFFECTS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE HAITIAN POPULATION

The World food program (PAM), the agency of the United Nations, indicated that the number of people in severe food insecurity doubled in 6 months in Haiti, because of drought conditions and of El Niño.

3.6 million people go hungry, among whom 1.5 millions are experiencing severe food insecurity, according to a new study carried out by the PAM, the United Nations Organization for the Food and Agriculture (FAO) and the National Coordination of the Food safety in Haiti (CNSA).

In the spring, farmers lost as much as 70 % of their harvest in certain regions. These losses had a direct influence on the price of basic food products, some of which doubled. In a country where 75 % of the population lives with less than 2 dollars a day and when 50 % of the population depends on agriculture, a drought can bring disastrous consequences on the food safety of numerous families.

"If it doesn’t rain before the harvest of 2016, it will mean that numerous farmers will lose their third consecutive harvest and will not be able to meet the needs for their families," declared Wendy Bigham, Deputy Director of the PAM in Haiti. " We have to help them cover their immediate needs while helping them build their strength. "

The phenomenon El Nino which began at the beginning of 2015 is one of the strongest ever recorded, and has affected the food safety of the most vulnerable people all over the world.

In certain regions until 70 % of the population is experiencing food insecurity and according to a new study by the UNICEF, the rates of malnutrition above warning levels were observed in several municipalities, some testifying of an emergency situation.

On the basis of these new studies, PAM is going to intensify its emergency operation to answer the immediate needs for 1 million people in situation of severe food insecurity by making transfers of money as well as by distributing rations of food.

These immediate distributions will be completed by programs of "Money fort Work" where 200,000 people will receive some money in exchange for their work on projects of water management or land preservation to favor the long-term development. PAM has already implemented the projects of "Money for Work" for more than 30,000 people in zones the most affected by drought conditions.

In coordination with the government, PAM also distributed rations of food since November to 120,000 people affected by the drought. A ration of two months can feed a family of 5 people and includes basic food items such as rice, legumes, oil, sugar and salt.

Furthermore, PAM’s program of school canteens brings crucial assistance to about 500,000 children by assuring that they will be able to eat at least a daily meal, among them many are in regions affected by the drought.

It is essential that PAM continues to bring emergency aid so that families can meet their needs until the next harvest which will not take place before July, 2016. PAM, which is only financed by voluntary contributions, needs to raise 84 million dollars in order to cover the food basic needs for 1 million Haitians.

Rubio Comments On Newly Announced Haiti Transition Plan

Washington, D.C.Feb 08 2016

– U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) today issued the following statement regarding the Haitian government’s new announcement of a plan to transition power:
 
“I welcome Haiti’s announcement of a transition to an interim government, followed by elections in the very near future. It is my hope that this updated schedule will allow the people of Haiti to have the opportunity to freely elect new leadership, and also for allegations of corruption and fraud in the previous election round to be addressed.
 
“The United States along with the Organization of American States should assist Haiti's transitional government during the coming months to help ensure that the presidential election occurs as scheduled and is free and fair. I urge all political factions to unite behind the interim government, work together to implement this new transition and election schedule, and put their differences aside in the interest of a better future for the Haitian people.
 
“Anyone who is promoting violence or undermining Haiti’s stability during this period should be held accountable, including through punitive actions by the U.S. government such as visa bans. It is in America's interest to continue supporting the people of Haiti during this key time.”

OAS urges D.R. to restore nationality to Haitian descendants

EFE - Washington9 Feb 2016

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, a body of the Organization of American States, on Tuesday asked the Dominican Republic to restore nationality to thousands of people of Haitian descent affected by a controversial decision by the Dominican Constitutional Tribunal.

"The criteria adopted by the Constitutional Tribunal disproportionally affected persons of Haitian descent and retroactively deprived them of nationality, relegating them to the status of stateless persons," the commission said.

Based on a visit to the country, the commission's "Report on the Human Rights Situation in Dominican Republic" repudiates that persons born in Dominican territory who, according to Dominican legislation, are entitled to Dominican nationality, should be treated as foreigners.

The commission, an autonomous agency of the OAS, also urges the Dominican government to end "the practices of denying Dominican nationality to persons born in the territory based on the origin of their parents or ancestors, or the migratory status of their parents."

"The situation of statelessness generated by (Constitutional Tribunal) judgment 168/13 has not yet been completely corrected after the measures adopted by the Dominican State, is of a magnitude never before seen in the Americas," the rapporteur on the rights of migrants, Commissioner Enrique Gil Botero, said.

"This situation takes place in a context of historical discrimination that, in different spheres, face Dominicans of Haitian descent," said the rapporteur on the rights of Afro-Descendants, Commissioner Margarette May Macaulay.

"This historical discrimination has been evident in policies, laws, judgments and practices that tend to deprive them of their right to Dominican nationality on the basis of criteria such as the colour of their skin, the national origin of their parents or grandparents, their last names or their linguistic ability to speak Spanish," she said.

Many people born in the Dominican Republic to Haitian parents faced immense obstacles when trying to obtain the right documentation to register for the National Regularization Plan and only around 240,000 applications were received ahead of a June 17, 2015, deadline.

Détails

Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti

Création : 1 mars 2016

 'Extreme' US worry about Zika impact in Haiti

BRASÍLIA (AFP),
19 February 2016 - 21H05 - A top US health official expressed "extreme concern" Friday over the potential for Zika to expand throughout Haiti and said the United States is helping the deeply impoverished Caribbean nation prepare.

There was "extreme concern of Haiti in terms of impact that dengue has there, and of course, the vulnerable population is a challenge," said Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the US Centers for Disease Control.

Schuchat spoke while in the Brazilian capital of Brasilia studying an outbreak of the Zika virus, which is widely believed to cause microcephaly, a serious birth defect, in babies born to infected women.

The virus is transmitted by the same mosquito responsible for carrying dengue, a far more common disease.

The US expert said that with the northern hemisphere summer approaching, a rise in mosquito numbers is expected and Haiti, which confirmed its first cases of Zika in January, needs to prepare.

The "CDC has a very strong partnership in Haiti and we are already working on how to help them be ready for this," she told AFP.

"We are concerned about many countries. Certainly in Colombia they have seen a rapid increase in Zika cases," she said. "In the US we are working very closely with Puerto Rico and we are very concerned about the months ahead."

Most people who get Zika suffer no serious symptoms, but pregnant women are considered to be at risk and have been advised by numerous governments not to travel to Zika-prone countries.

Brazil said this week that it has registered 508 cases of microcephaly since October, a huge increase on the average annual number of 150.

© 2016 AFP

Gina Dupervil died on Thursday morning in New Jersey

Gina Dupervil, the daughter of the famous singer Gerard Dupervil, died last week in a New Jersey hospital due to respiratory complications. The singer of the famous hit LANMOU NOU PRAN DIFE, who made many people dance, experienced great success before leaving the country to settle down permanently in the USA. Another Haitian star has passed on. All our condolences to friends and relatives.

Jazz vocal album winner Cécile McLorin Salvant at the Grammys

By: Chris BartonContact

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The Grammy Awards like nothing more than to be seen as getting younger, but that idea did not extend to 12-year-old piano phenome Joey Alexander in this year's jazz category.

Seen as something of a favorite in the wake of earning multiple nominations for music on his debut album "My Favorite Things" as well as a performance slot at the Grammys pre-show and broadcast, Alexander was shut out by Grammy voters, who instead opted for more familiar faces.

Alexander can take a measure of comfort in this year's win by 26-year-old jazz vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant, who lost out in the jazz vocal category in her first nomination in 2014 but came back to earn honors this year for her lauded album "For One to Love." Salvant beat out albums by Lorraine Feather, Karrin Allyson, Denise Donatelli and Jamison Ross.

Haiti’s interim president meeting with possible candidate for PM

Jamaica Observer - Friday, February 19, 2016    

PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti (CMC) — Interim president Jocelerme Privert has been holding talks with possible candidates for the position of prime minister with the 2010 presidential candidate Mirlande Manigat emerging as a strong nominee to replace Paul Evans.

Privert, who was elected by the Parliament on Sunday to lead the French-speaking Caribbean Community (Caricom) country, Tuesday met with Moïse Jean-Charles, the presidential candidate of the Pitit Dassalin party as well as André Michel, presidential candidate for the JISTIS and Manigat, who is also general secretary of the Rally of Progressive National Democrats.

Under the agreement reached to end the political crisis that followed the departure of President Michel Martelly from office on February 7, the interim president chosen by parliament will serve for up to 120 days. The agreement proposes a new presidential election on April 24, with a new president installed on May 14.

Following the meeting, Michel told reporters he had proposed to President Privert the candidacy of Manigat to head the transitional government.

February 15, 2016

                                                                                                                                                                                    No. 2016/12

U.S. Response to the Drought in Haiti

The US Government is actively intervening to mitigate the impact of the ongoing drought induced by a prolonged El Niño event, and, in fact, has been working ​since the Haitian Government’s CNSA issued an alert and appeal in October 2015. At stake is food security and nutrition for an estimated 1.5 million Haitians.

Our early response has involved:

1. Working to assess and mitigate the impact and improve early warning and analysis capacities through the USAID funded Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWS NET). 
2. USAID has already awarded $11.6 million in emergency assistance to World Vision, Action Contre le Faim (ACF), and CARE to address acute food and nutritional deficiencies for over 135,000 people in the upper northwest, La Gonave, the central plateau and southwest areas hard hit by the drought due to the ongoing El Nino. This assistance will address immediate emergency food needs as well as assist the most vulnerable in their early recovery and build resilience to future shocks. 
3. Providing food and support valued at $500,000 for 10,000 children in 32 orphanages and 19 schools in the West, Centre, Artibonite, South East and South departments.
4. Continuing USAID support to our four-year non-emergency food and nutrition social safety net Kore Lavi program, implemented through CARE and its partners ACF, World Vision, and the World Food Programme, to support 239,000 extremely vulnerable people in La Gonave in the West and South East, North West, Centre and L'Artibonite departments.
5. In the South East Department, one of the hardest hit by drought, as well as migration from the Dominican Republic, and cholera, we are working with partners to provide emergency water for drinking, hygiene and sanitation for 13,000 in communities where returned migrants place additional strain on already limited water resources.

Through the US Feed the Future Initiative, our ongoing agricultural development programs are working on mid to longer term solutions with farmers to distribute pumps, clean irrigation canals to increase access to dwindling water supply, use less water-intensive seed for rice, and other solutions for water conservation. 

Ambassador Peter Mulrean expressed his concern and solidarity for those whose livelihoods and food security have been threatened and noted:   “In this time of distress, the United States stands with Haiti as a true partner, contributing to international and Haitian efforts to provide relief now and for however long it is needed. At the same time, we continue our work on building Haiti’s capacity to withstand such future shocks and protect those most vulnerable and in need, especially mothers, infants and children in rural communities across the country where livelihoods, livestock, and, with no response, lives are at risk”. 

NEW DELAY FOR CLIFFORD BRANDT'S TRIAL

After a two-week delay on January 28th for Clifford Brandt's trial and his presumed accomplices, a second 24 hours postponement was put in place on Monday, February 15th because the accused were absent. The judge in charge of the case, Jean Wilner Morin, explained there was a logistic problem with the room put at the disposal of the magistrate.  He announced on Tuesday, February 16th, that the trial would be rescheduled for February 23rd. This session should take place at the Judicial Palace where a room will be outfitted for that purpose.

Last Tuesday, 6 of the accused,including Clifford H. Brandt, Sawadienne Jean, Evens Larrieux, Saint strong Carlo Bendel, Carline Richemard and Pierreval Ricot, out of the 19 identified linked to this case were , although a jury was not present. The other suspects are still fugitives.

The judge in charge of the case ordered 10 days for the missing suspects to report to justice. Otherwise the court indicated that they will be declared escapes and judged in absentia (in their absences), their properties will be seized and individuals will be detained to indicate where they are.

Haiti interim president vows to hold former leaders accountable

Port-au-Prince (AFP) - Haiti's interim president Jocelerme Privert vowed Friday to do "everything in his power" to hold the previous administration accountable for its actions, amid allegations of corruption and mismanagement.

Privert said he has met with leaders from civil society and political parties, as well as everyday citizens, who are demanding that the previous government of Michel Martelly be called to account for its less than stellar record of governance.

"I am going to do everything in my power to make sure that the institutions (of government) meet their responsibilities," he told a news conference.

He added that he "has not ruled out convening a task force" to look into the matter, including a unit focusing on financial mismanagement under Martelly.

Privert took power earlier this month following the February 7 departure of Martelly, after a vote to choose his successor was postponed over fears of violence.

Opposition leaders have criticized Martelly, charging him with overusing his executive powers. They also accuse his wife and eldest son of embezzling public funds.

The deeply impoverished Caribbean nation has been paralyzed by an electoral crisis and continues to struggle to get back on its feet after being hobbled by the devastating 2010 earthquake.

Black History Month Celebration at the Harold Courlander Space

The Black History Month's celebration at the Harold Courlander Space of the American Corner of the Monique Calixte Library will include two big activities this month. The first already took place and consisted of a panel discussion last Friday.  The second conference is planned for Wednesday, February 24th at 5 p.m. at Fokal.

According to information available on FOKAL’s website, last week’s panel was in English and included five diplomats of the American Embassy who studied at historically black colleges and universities in the U. S. 

These participants from various fields of knowledge spoke about the importance of these types of schools in the history of the United States, and talked about their college experience with participants. This activity was aimed largely at students and members of the Club English Conversation of the American Corner.

Wednesday’s conference, on the other hand, will consist of a presentation by history and communication professor, and sports and political commentator, Patrice Dumont. The library’s American Corner holds a conference annually to mark the stories of African-Americans. It is designed to allow the public to follow the contribution of blacks in the evolution of American society. This year’s theme is on “The participation of the soldiers of Santo Domingo in the battle of Savannah in 1779 in Georgia."

Professor Dumont will make a historic presentation of the facts relative to this battle and will place the participation and the effort of the soldiers of Santo Domingo in a diplomatic context where friendly links were weaved between both countries from their foundation to full nation.

Patrice Dumont is a well-versed individual who collaborated in the two publications: “The French Revolution and Haiti / text: Révolution française - Révolution haïtienne, autonomie, influences et similitudes” (1989) and "The price of Jean-claudisme / Text: “Le jean-claudisme ou l’ideologie du paraitre (2014)." The star sports broadcaster of the show "Sportissibo" on Radio Ibo also published “Haiti in Munich, 20 years later (1994)" and "Francois Duvalier and Haitian soccer, a totalitarian control (2015)."

Culture: the tourist wealth of the North of Haiti, detailed in a catalog

A catalog of places and products, which represent the tourism wealth of the department of the North of Haiti, is now on available, according to the on-line agency AlterPresse.

This catalog is the fruit of the Project of Tourist Development aid of the North (Padtn), as a tourist destination, by the Inter-American Development Bank (Bid), the Center (Canadian) of Study and of the International Cooperation (CECI) and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the North (CCIN).

Grouping places of interest – such as beaches, hotels and culinary and artistic potentialities - this catalog, one of the expected results within the framework of the implementation of Padtn, establishes a guide for local and foreign visitors willing to explore the department of the North of Haiti.

Colombia: 3,177 Pregnant Women With Zika; No Microcephaly

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BOGOTA, Colombia — Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos said Saturday that there's no evidence Zika has caused any cases of the birth defect known as microcephaly in his country, though it has diagnosed 3,177 pregnant women with the virus. Santos also announced that a U.S. medical-scientific team will arrive in Colombia to help investigate the mosquito-borne virus. Brazilian officials say they suspect Zika is behind a seemingly unusual number of microcephaly cases, in which children are born with unusually small heads. The link is not confirmed, but it has helped prompt the World Health Organization to declare an emergency over the virus. Santos says Zika apparently has affected more than 25,600 Colombians overall. Colombian officials said Friday that three people had died of the paralyzing Guillain-Barre syndrome they attributed to cases of Zika. To date, the mosquito-borne virus has spread to more than 20 countries in the Americas.

With global concern over the Zika virus growing, health officials are warning pregnant women to be careful about who they kiss and calling on men to use condoms with pregnant partners if they have visited countries where the virus is present.

The flurry of recommendations began in Brazil, where a top health official said that scientists have found live virus in saliva and urine samples, and the possibility it could be spread by the two body fluids requires further study.

Détails

Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti

Création : 2 mars 2016

 Politic : Vote of confidence, the PM in the hunt for votes
29/02/2016 11:29:21

Haiti-Libre - Invested since Friday as Prime minister in charge to constitute a transitional government http://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-16725-haiti-flash-inauguration-of-the-prime-minister-named.html , the economist Fritz-Alphonse Jean must now make sure to get a vote of confidence in Parliament on his General Policy. A task all the more difficult, that no political group constituted in Parliament in both houses, holds an absolute majority, which will force him to negotiate with all political blocs to try to secure the 16 votes in the Senate and 60 votes in the lower house, the majority required to obtain a vote of confidence.

The Senate currently consists of 2 groups. The majority opposition group (G15) composed of 15 senators, including the President of the Upper House (who may not vote) seems acquired to the Prime Minister, which theoretically represents 14 votes. He will therefore have to convince two senators of the minority group (G9) to vote in his favor, which is not earned if the minority senators are in solidarity, the G9 having disapprove the nomination of the Prime Minister and does not intend to endorse his General Policy statement as stated by the G9 leader Sen. Youri Latortue.

The lower house is composed of 3 political blocs constituted : the majority Block "Parliamentary Alliance for Haiti" (APH) composed f 48deputies (G48), which has taken a position against the nomination of Fritz Jean as Prime Minister and accordingly against his General Policy, "The Provisional President should not choose a friend as Prime Minister he must choose a person who will carry out the elections, to complement those already begun, for the country to have a chance and be equipped with an elected president," declared Deputy Rony Célestin, President of G48.

The other two blocks together represent 44 deputies. The "Parliamentary Group at the Listening of the People" composed of 33 deputies of various trends and the" Group of independent deputies" (GPI) composed of 11 independent deputies. Here again Prime Minister Jean must try to convince of Deputies of majority group to vote for his general policy, if he wants to get the 60 votes required.

According Abel Descollines, the first Secretary of the Chamber of Deputies and member of the Group of Independent Deputies the GPI which appears as a block above the personal interests and at the services of interests of the Nation, and which does not intend to become blocking element to the vote of confidence of the General Policy of the Prime Minister, as long as the latter meets the constitutional requirements.

Education : The Digicel Foundation inaugurates 5 schools
28/02/2016 09:58:42

Haiti-Libre - Continuing its program to build schools throughout Haiti in order to contribute to the improvement of the quality of education, the Digicel Foundation has recently proceeded to the inauguration of 5 new construction projects.

Part of first 20 schools built by the Digicel Foundation during its first year of operation, the Community School of Bigue, in the commune of Gros Morne as been rehabilitated and 3 new classrooms have been added to meet the demand of the community. The École Mixte Emmanuel in Gérald Bataille / Port-au-Prince, one of modular schools, built in containers after the 2010 earthquake has also been modified and was able also to benefit of three new classrooms.

Three other schools have been inaugurated recently: the National School of Yayou in Saint Raphaël, the National School Charlemagne Péralte to Maïssade and the Community School ANC of Grande Savane in Fort Jacques. With these new openings, over 1,000 students were added to the children who attend the schools of the Foundation, they are now more than 52,000 students to benefit from.

Commenting on the series of inaugurations, Sophia Stransky, the Executive Director of the Digicel Foundation stated "Every school inauguration is a proud moment for the Foundation, we not only offer an adequate and safe environment for hundreds of children but we allow communities to strengthen [...] These new inauguration bring to 158 the number of schools projects already completed by the Digicel Foundation throughout the national territory, we are on the right track to reach our goal that is to reach 175 construction projects in Haiti by December 2016."

Haiti’s leaders must put country’s interest first

Chaos averted at the last minute by postponing election

Haiti’s woefully weak economy makes progress harder

BY SIR RONALD SANDERS

sirronaldsanders.com

Haiti has made a firm and important first step in taking responsibility for its affairs after decades of external interference. An agreement, reached on the night of February 5, twenty-four hours before the Presidency of Michel Martelly ended in accordance with the Constitution, was as historic as it was vital.

As I said in a report to the Permanent Council of the Organisation of American States (OAS) on a Special Mission I led to Haiti from January 31 to February 6, prior to the February 5 agreement, “Haiti faced — in very stark and real terms — a situation of potential chaos”.

SANDERS

On the ground, these are the realities that confronted the country:

President Martelly was demitting office in 7 days with no elected successor, and no agreed mechanism for how the country would be governed; political actors were jockeying for power, making agreement on a mechanism for an interim government extremely difficult; there was tension, uncertainty and simmering conflict; and the existing amended 1987 Constitution made no provision for a transitional government.

In this troubling scenario, there was no legal answer and no space for an externally-imposed “solution”. A way out of the morass had to be a political compact, made by the main Haitian players; it had to be one that they owned or there would be no chance for its implementation.

Of course, there were many claimants for the role of who should agree the way forward for Haiti. In the presidential election, which was suspended in January because of politically-organized violence, there were 54 candidates for the presidency. But, the first round held last October had resulted in two candidates securing 58.08 percent% between them. That left 52 losers for whom, as I told the OAS Permanent Council on February 12, “blaming the (elections) process as a whole is an irresistible magnet”. Nonetheless, despite their overwhelming rejection by the electorate, many of the 52 candidates have remained active, with a few not averse to dispatching their followers to the streets for protests.

The two “winners” of the first round of the October Presidential electoral contest were Jovenel Moise of PHTH (Martelly’s party) with 32.81 percent and Jude Celestin of LAPEH with 25.27 percent. As to be expected, Celestin led the chorus of the disappointed presidential contenders who alleged “massive fraud”, although none of the independent observers of the elections agreed. All the international observer groups concurred on many irregularities that were not sufficient to materially affect the first-round election result.

The second round, scheduled for December was postponed to January following demands by many of the candidates, led by Celestin, for changes in the process. But, even after changes were made, Celestin declared he would not contest the election. However, he did not withdraw his name formally. In the event, organized violence led to the second-round being suspended.

On the eve of Martelly’s departure, therefore, the country was faced with a crisis to which the existing Constitution provided no answer. Potentially it would be anarchy since no government would be in place. The judges of the Supreme Court themselves revealed to the OAS mission that I led that the answer to the problem was not legal; it had to be political but as close to the Constitution and the law as possible.

Recourse to a solution therefore resided in the only two institutions of government that were in existence with legitimate authority. Those were: Martelly, who was still constitutionally the president, and the National Assembly embodied by its President Jocelerme Privert. That is why these two constitutional entities were encouraged to find and agree on a solution that would take the country over the immediate obstacle of a constitutional vacuum, following Martelly’s departure without an elected successor, and would establish a mechanism for choosing an interim president and an interim prime minister to superintend the country’s affairs with a clear road map to the election of a new president by an agreed and certain date.

They did so at the 11th hour and after much debate, mind-changing, and interventions by vested interests. For instance, some persons, who would no longer command authority once Martelly demitted office, were encouraging him to continue in office after February 7 and until a new President could be elected. Had Martelly remained in office one day past February 7, a political fire of protests would have been lit that could have engulfed Haiti and retarded any hope of progress for decades. The cost to Haiti and its neighbors would have been beyond contemplation. The OAS is right to be satisfied with the friendly but impartial role it has played in Haiti, always at the request of its government.

The agreement, signed on the night of February 5 by Martelly, Privert and the president of the Lower Chamber of the National Assembly, Chozler Chancy, was imperative. As I said to the assembled Haitian negotiators, immediately after they signed the agreement in the Presidential Palace, they had “written their names in an important page of Haiti’s history, showing the world that they are capable of making mature decisions in a democratic way that would redound to Haiti’s benefit”.

The terms of the agreement have been met and are being implemented. Martelly demitted office properly with a passionate address to the National Assembly, and the Assembly agreed on the election of an Interim President — Privert — in a process that took less than 24 hours through spirited debate and bargaining. As I write, nominations for the interim prime minister are being discussed and should be settled shortly.

Haitian decision-makers have taken a crucial first step toward a sustainable democracy. Achieving it will not be painless, not least because it is all too easy for political losers to seek advantage by organising street demonstrations. Further, without a history of debate and decision-making within solid governmental institutions, democratic processes will be severely tested, and it will be up to the Haitian leaders to put the interests of their country first.

All this is more complicated because of Haiti’s poor economic circumstances. Its GDP per capita is $820, less than one-tenth of the Latin American average. Sixty percent of the population lives below the poverty line and the richest 20 percent accounts for 62 percent of the income. Shockingly, of the population of more than 10 million people, only 500,000 are in permanent employment. This situation is exacerbated by the expulsion by the Dominican Republic of Haitians who found work or were born in that country.

The Haitian leaders deserve every commendation and encouragement for the mature manner in which they have tackled their constitutional and political crisis. After the installation of a new, democratically-elected President, they will need to do much more, including reform of the Constitution, judiciary, electoral system and the system of maintaining law and order. In that way, they will encourage the countries of the Americas to help them help themselves.

Sir Ronald Sanders is chairman of the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States and Ambassador of Antigua and Barbuda.

U.S.-educated economist is new interim Haiti prime minister

BY JACQUELINE CHARLES

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Fritz Alphonse Jean, a U.S.-educated economist who once headed Haiti’s central bank, was installed Friday as the country’s new prime minister to help lead a caretaker government and complete suspended elections that have left Haiti without an elected president or full parliament.

In his acceptance speech, Jean acknowledged that his task is huge: He must not only create the conditions necessary for Haiti to hold free, fair, and transparent presidential and partial legislative elections by April 24, but simultaneously re-establish macro-economic stability.

“I am aware of the task ... that you have entrusted to me to win the trust of all stakeholders in this crisis,” Jean said.

Jean was tapped for the No. 2 job in the government by provisional President Jocelerme Privert. Privert spent two weeks in consultations with political and civic leaders to find a consensus prime minister as part of the Feb. 5 accord outlining the steps for a 120-day provisional government.

More technocrat than politician, Jean’s designation has stirred controversy, raising questions about how long before he and the consensus government he must now form can get to work.

While technically prime minister under Haiti’s amended 1987 constitution, Jean must still go before parliament to get a vote of confidence on his political program. Parliamentarians can reject the program, therefore holding up Jean’s ability to legitimately function. Some lawmakers close to former President Michel Martelly have argued that Jean is neither the consensus prime minister that the accord demanded, nor apolitical, and has roots in the same Fanmi Lavalas Party as Privert.

On Friday, outgoing Prime Minister Evans Paul also logged his objections. Surrounded by members of his soon-to-be-axed Cabinet, Paul accused Privert of violating the terms of the accord. He announced a boycott of the ceremony saying, “We are not going to help lead the country into chaos.”

Paul has been in a hostile public campaign against Privert, 62, ever since the interim president told reporters last week that Haiti was in dire financial straights.

Paul disputed the claims, while pointing out that the former Haitian Senate head, who was elected provisional president on Feb. 14 in a joint session of parliament, is the main beneficiary of the accord, which he helped negotiate. The same criticism, however, was made of Paul when he was tapped by Martelly in December 2014 to lead a consensus government after a presidential commission he sat on called for the removal of Martelly’s friend and business partner, Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe, to stave off a worsening political crisis.

Privert called on Haitians to set aside personal interests and work to help Haiti get out of the current crisis.

“We are all Haitians,” he said. “Let’s stop wasting time.”

Governor of the Banque de la République d’Haïti (BRH) from 1998 to 2001, Jean was the choice of human-rights organizations. Some interpret his selection as a sign that Privert views the provisional government’s role as broader than merely organizing elections. Privert also believes it should prevent a total collapse of the Haitian economy.

Since October, Haiti’s domestic currency has dropped in value by 17.75 percent and a factory worker today earns less today —$3.87 a day — after a hike in the minimum wage than before.

“The country’s finances are in an alarming and catastrophic situation,” Privert said last week during his first news conference.

A week before Privert took office, Martelly had stepped down from the presidency without an elected successor because of the disputed elections.

Privert has said that he intends “to do everything in my power, everything that depends on me, everything that depends on my ability, to meet the deadline and act in strict compliance with the deadline.” While trying to find a prime minister, he has also asked various sectors to designate individuals to fill six vacant seats on the Provisional Electoral Council.

Among the names that have been sent in is that of Jacques Bernard. A U.S. Agency for International Development employee, Bernard was designated by business leaders. He is considered a leading expert on Haiti’s electoral system. He served as executive director of the electoral council in 2006 but fled the country after citing fears for his life. He was tapped again in the 2010 elections to help verify the vote. Bernard’s name was proposed last year, but U.S. officials opposed his appointment.

A fiscal expert and former director of the Haitian revenue service (DGI), Privert has announced sweeping changes to reduce government spending. The new government, he has said, will have no more than 15 ministers. He also has not ruled out a financial audit to look into allegations of mismanagement and corruption by the Martelly administration.

He also asked Paul to suspend all appointments to public institutions, including foreign embassies and consulates, where dozens of nominations were made on the eve of Martelly’s departure. Firing back in the news media, Paul this week said the appointments were requested by legislators. He and Finance Minister Wilson Laleau also disputed Privert’s bleak view of the country’s finances, saying there is no reason for alarm.

Sources close to the president said that while organizing elections remains a top priority of the administration, so too is taking control of the country’s finances. In recent days, the palace has raised questions about a number of disbursements, including the granting of a $20 million line of credit by Laleau to an Israeli firm to control the country’s border with the Dominican Republic. Laleau defended his decision Thursday morning during an interview on Magik 9, saying the contract existed before the change of administrations.

In a communique, the palace has also demanded the return of all state-owned vehicles from former employees of the Martelly administration.

A vocal critic of the Martelly government’s unbridled spending, Jean was born in Cap-Haïtien and calls the town of Sainte-Suzanne in the northeast, home. A proponent of development of Haiti’s neglected northern region, he serves as president of the chamber of commerce of the Northeast Department.

Between 2007 and 2010, Jean was president of YMCA-Haiti. He’s a founding member of the Haitian Stock Exchange and an advocate of tourism promotion. He studied economics and mathematics at Fordham University and the New School for Social Research in New York before pursuing his professional career in Haiti.

In 1996, Jean was named vice governor of the central bank. Two years later, he was appointed governor. During his tenure, he signed the contract that led to the construction of the bank’s gleaming building in downtown Port-au-Prince. The move put him in conflict with then-President Jean-Bertrand Aristide and forced his 2001 departure from the bank.

Tzu Chi Foundation

Tzu Chi Foundation is feeding the poor patients in Haiti.

Tzu Chi volunteers in Haiti, are trying to put Master's teachings in practice. They cook themselves good vegetarian food to feed the poor patients. They also serve the food themselves. They are trying to promote vegetarian recipes and nutrition information dedicated to educating the poor patients and the interrelated issues of health and nutrition.

Détails

Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti

Création : 9 mars 2016

  U.S. Department Of State

DIPLOMACY IN ACTION

BUREAU OF INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT AFFAIRS

2016 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR)

Report

Introduction

Haiti remains a transit point for cocaine originating in South America and marijuana originating in Jamaica, traversing the country’s porous borders en route to the United States and other markets. This traffic takes advantage of Haiti’s severely under-patrolled maritime borders, particularly on the northern and southern coasts. Haiti is not a significant producer of illicit drugs for export, although there is cultivation of cannabis for local consumption. Haiti’s primarily subsistence-level economy does not provide an environment conducive to high levels of domestic drug use.

The Haitian government continued in 2015 to strengthen the Haitian National Police (HNP) and its counternarcotics unit (Bureau for the Fight Against Narcotics Trafficking, or BLTS) with additional manpower, and officials at the highest levels of government have repeatedly committed to fight drug trafficking. While drug and cash seizures were higher in 2015 than in the previous year, the government has been unable to secure borders adequately in order to cut the flow of illegal drugs. Principal land border crossings with the Dominican Republic are largely uncontrolled and the southern coastline remains virtually enforcement-free. The minimal interdiction capacity of the Haitian Coast Guard creates a low-risk environment for drug traffickers to operate. While Haiti’s domestic law enforcement interdiction capacity has improved marginally, a largely ineffective judicial system continues to impede successful prosecution of apprehended drug traffickers.

Supply Reduction

BLTS executed several successful operations in 2015 that led to significant drug and cash asset seizures, including through joint operations with the U.S. Coast Guard and DEA. Seizures included 3.3 metric tons of marijuana, 143 kilograms (kg) of cocaine, and 15 kg of heroin, as well as $562,000 and 22 assorted firearms. Enforcement actions yielded a total of 148 arrests, with five extraditions to the United States for prosecution. DEA works frequently with BLTS on major operations, and its assistance in intelligence gathering, logistics, and operational planning helped facilitate most BLTS actions ending in seizure or arrest. There is no significant availability or traffic of illegal synthetic drugs in Haiti.

Conclusion

The continued institutional development of both the HNP and the BLTS are positive trends that have helped to improve public security and have marginally increased Haiti’s ability to interdict drug trafficking. Continued strong cooperation between Haitian and U.S. law enforcement yielded major narcotics seizures and enabled the apprehension of individuals indicted in U.S. jurisdictions and their return for trial in the United States. However, the dysfunctional Haitian judicial system drastically limits domestic prosecution of drug cases and thus reduces disincentives to trafficking operations. Drug seizures still remain low, and Haiti’s minimal capacity to police its sea and land borders is a particular point of concern.

Continued engagement from the United States, particularly in support of BLTS operations and general HNP development, will help Haitian law enforcement to capitalize on marginal gains in drug interdiction capacity. However, the benefits of such gains will be limited if the judicial system fails to convict drug traffickers. Only the concurrent strengthening of the judiciary, law enforcement, and border security will enable Haiti to make real progress in fighting drug trafficking.

Court Hears Suit against U.N. on Haiti Cholera Outbreak

By RICK GLADSTONEMARCH 1, 2016

A legal battle by the Haitian victims of a cholera epidemic against the United Nations reached its highest level in an American court on Tuesday, as lawyers for the plaintiffs were permitted to argue before a federal appeals panel why they believe the United Nations is not entitled to immunity.

Based on the questions asked by the three judges hearing the arguments in a packed Manhattan federal courtroom, they appeared sympathetic to the victims.

The outcome of the case, in which United Nations peacekeepers are accused of having negligently brought cholera to Haiti after their deployment in 2010 following a disastrous earthquake, could have enormous implications for the United Nations. The global organization has asserted that a 1946 convention on privileges and immunities insulates it from such legal action — a defense that the appellate judges are now weighing

Their decision is expected in the next several months, and if they agree with the cholera victims the case could be returned to a lower court for trial. If the judges deny the appeal, lawyers for the victims said, they would seek to bring the issue before the United States Supreme Court.

“Immunity does not mean impunity,” Beatrice Lindstrom, a lawyer for the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti, a legal advocacy group that is helping represent the cholera victims, told the appellate judges.

There is little dispute that the peacekeepers were at fault, as supported by medical studies including some of the United Nations’ own findings, but the organization has declined to even acknowledge it is a defendant in the lawsuit, one of at least three that has been filed in the United States.

The cholera epidemic has killed more than 9,000 people in Haiti and infected more than 800,000.

The case was dismissed by a lower-court judge in 2014 after Justice Department lawyers, acting on behalf of the United Nations because the United States is the organization’s host country, argued that under the 1946 convention, American courts had no standing to hear the grievances.

Lawyers for the victims appealed, and in what they described as a last-minute decision announced last Thursday, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit scheduled a hearing for them to argue their side.

Ms. Lindstrom said the 1946 convention also required the United Nations to compensate people hurt by its activities through the establishment of a special board to evaluate and act on grievances brought by victims, which the organization has not done in Haiti. Based on that lapse, she argued, the United Nations had forfeited any claim to immunity.

“The U.N.’s position is that nothing can compel it to comply with its undeniable legal obligations,” she said.

Ellen Blain, an assistant United States attorney who argued for dismissing the case, told the appellate judges that the Haiti epidemic was an unfortunate disaster but that the immunity provision of the convention, which both the United States and Haiti signed, left no room for interpretation and must be enforced.

Lawyers for the United Nations did not attend the hearing, in keeping with the organization’s position that it is not answerable to the court’s activities. Farhan Haq, a spokesman for the United Nations, said in an emailed statement that “as is the normal course, representatives of the Host State appeared and asserted the absolute immunity of the United Nations.”

The judges asked what other possible recourse the Haitians could pursue, indicating they may see some legal justification for siding with victims caught in a situation in which nobody has been held accountable.

“We are very heartened by today’s proceeding,” Brian Concannon, the executive director of Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti, told reporters after the hearing concluded. “I’m not going to predict the proceeding but it was heartening to see the judges asking very good questions.”

Mario Joseph, a Haitian lawyer who is the lead counsel for the cholera victims, said after the hearing that he believed “the United Nations is walking toward the end of this absolute immunity.”

The Relentless Rise of Two Caribbean Lakes Baffles Scientists

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

In Haiti and the Dominican Republic, the lakes are flooding farmland, swallowing communities and leading to deforestation.

 By Jacob Kushner

LETANT, Haiti—On a recent calm day, the surface of Lake Azuéi has no waves, not even any ripples. Pillars of pastel-colored concrete break the still surface, the tops of what once were houses. They are all that’s visible of the community that once thrived here.

Alberto Pierre, a skinny, wide-eyed 25-year-old, said the submerged village where he grew up wasn’t even near the lake. “The water used to be many kilometers from here.”

Lake Azuéi, the largest lake in Haiti, lies about 18 miles east of Port-au-Prince, the capital, nestled along the border with the Dominican Republic. Also known as Étang Saumâtre, the lake rose so much between 2004 and 2009 that it engulfed dozens of square miles.

“At first we put rocks so it wouldn’t come into our houses,” Pierre says. “But then the water just overran the rocks.” Families in the village of Letant began abandoning their houses, building huts on higher ground using wood, tarps, whatever they could find. By 2012, all 83 houses had been vacated.

“We don’t know why the water is rising,” he says.

In fact, nobody does. There seems to be no logic to the lake’s rise. Experts from the United Nations, a French engineering firm, a Dominican Republic university, a New York City college and many others have looked for clues to explain the rise of Lake Azuéi and neighboring Lake Enriquillo, just across the border in the Dominican Republic. But few of the theories seem to hold water. Some now hypothesize the phenomenon is related to climate change, but the evidence is counterintuitive: Unlike ocean levels, which rise with climate change, lakes tend to shrink.

For the estimated 400,000 people living in the watershed of the two lakes, the fallout has been severe. Lake Enriquillo rose an incredible 37 feet in less than 10 years, doubling in size and swallowing at least 40,000 acres of farmland.

Most of those who lost their land are poor farmers.

Displaced from their farmland, some are turning to a nefarious occupation: charcoal. Illegal loggers are cutting down trees in the Dominican Republic to produce 50,000 tons of charcoal annually, which they sell in Haiti. The U.N. estimates it’s a $15 million a year business. They transport it under the cover of darkness on small boats across Lake Azuéi, which has risen high enough to straddle the border.

Meanwhile, the water is destroying a fragile ecosystem. Cao Cao birds (Hispaniolan Palm Crow, or Corvus palmarum) and other bird species lost their habitat as trees where they once nested died, their roots drowned by the water. Endangered Hispaniola ground iguanas (Cyclura ricordi) and rhinoceros iguanas (Cyclura cornuta) were forced to flee the protected island in the center of Lake Enriquillo for higher ground above the shoreline where they compete with humans and other wildlife. 

Searching for an Explanation

Lake Enriquillo and Lake Azuéi have always been anomalies. For starters, their water is not fresh, but saline, even though they have no known connection to the ocean. Lake Enriquillo is the largest lake in the Caribbean, and it is also region’s lowest point: in 2013 its surface was 112 feet below sea level.

“The topography is unfortunate,” explains Michael Piasecki, professor for water resources engineering at the City College of New York who has done research in both countries on the island. “Both lakes are flanked on the north and the southern side by steep mountains. It’s like a bathtub.”

Complicating matters is the possibility that the two lakes are connected by an underground waterway. If true, Lake Azuéi, with its higher elevation, may be slowly draining into Lake Enriquillo. “But we can only speculate about this because we don’t know what the water table actually looks like,” says Piasecki. Absent funding that would allow scientists to drill the 40 to 50 boreholes he says would be necessary to find out if it’s true, the subterranean river mystery will remain just that.

Hoping for a Solution

If the water’s rise could somehow be reversed, the sunken land could probably be restored to its original state.

Dalbes Garcia Borques, a landowner in Duvergé, says that about four of his acres have resurfaced in the last two years as the lake receded slightly. He paid some workers to dig small irrigation trenches from nearby canals to “wash” away the salt residue left by the lake. One year later, he’s harvesting potatoes.

“It’s an expensive and arduous process,” says Borques.

And yet, it could be cause for optimism: If scientists and the island’s governments could work together to reverse the lakes’ rise, the land, barren and destroyed as it may look, could once again resemble the land that has not yet succumbed to the water’s grasp—lush with palm trees and tall grasses upon which fat cows graze.

For now, farmers seem hesitant to invest in the labor it would take to wash the re-emerged land and replant. With no solution in sight, most expect the water will continue to rise—flooding even more of the limited land on this small island.

The reporting for this article was made possible by support from the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.