Haiti is busy preparing for a meeting with international financial institutions to be held in Washington later this month. This meeting is backed by key financial organizations such as the World Bank, the International Development Bank (IDB), the United Nations, the EU, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The Haitian Government will present its programme relating to Haiti’s needs. A session on the promotion of good governance, national dialogue, and economic and institutional reinforcement will be included in the agenda. On the second day of the meeting, personalities such as US Secretary of State Colin Powell and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan are expected to speak in the meeting. The participants will then decide about the financial contribution they want to make in favour of Haiti.
The transition government is confident about the sponsors’ meeting slated to take place in Washington. The Haitian prime minister is pleased with the announcement made by the U.S. assistant treasury secretary about the possibility of disbursing $1 billion for Haiti over a period of two years. Prime Minister Gerard Latortue said that he is ready to convince the international sponsors. Prime Minister Latortue said, “It is a big thing. You might have heard what U.S. Assistant Treasury Secretary John Taylor said. He said that people in Washington think that one billion would be necessary to help the country in its current situation. It is the whole world that is with us. We have been ready for the past two months. All the documents are ready and approved.” He added, “If a head of government is not optimistic then he will not progress. He cannot achieve anything with a pessimistic attitude. So, this is the reason why I maintain my optimism for the sake of Haiti’s development, for the creation of jobs, for Haiti’s fight against corruption, and for Haiti behaving in a way that will prevent insignificant countries from showing disrespect towards us.” Mr. Taylor is scheduled to meet with the Haitian authorities today in light of the sponsors’ meeting taking place in Washington soon.