ARTICLE - IHRC - DISCUSSIONS

DISCUSSIONS ON PERFORMANCE AND CORRUPTION AT THE IHRC
(Haiti Libre) -

The Interim Haiti Recovery Commission's Performance and Anti-Corruption Office (PAO) held an open forum at the Montana Hotel yesterday, September 28, 2011, to discuss issues of performance and corruption in public procurement. This is the first in a series of forums held to convene the community working in Haiti on the monitoring and evaluation of projects, as well as all interested partners in the reconstruction of Haiti.

This timely seminar explored how corruption impacts public procurement in a development context. The discussion covered how corruption schemes operate in practice and examined the various legal and contractual mechanisms that have been established around the world to combat the scourge of corruption. This open session also served as a call to action for interested parties within the government, private sector, and international community to work together with the IHRC and the PAO in implementing the leading practices in limiting public corruption contained in the operational protocols of the IHRC.

The IHRC was created to coordinate and manage the aid that flowed into Haiti after the devastating earthquake of January 2010 in order to avoid duplication and wasted resources in development and reconstruction efforts. Within the IHRC, the PAO's independent monitoring role allows it a unique "bird's eye view" of the reconstruction efforts in Haiti as it promotes transparency and accountability to the Haitian people. As a part of these efforts, the PAO recently released its comprehensive project update report presenting detailed operational and financial information for each project approved by the IHRC before April 2011. Moving forward, this PAO report, in demonstrating the transparency and accountability of processes, will facilitate further integration between the IHRC and the different stakeholders in Haitian reconstruction.

Marilyn B. Allein, President of Fondation Heritage participated in the session with the student group, Haitian Youth Against Corruption (JHACCO). "We appreciate the IHRC's effort to be accountable and accessible to the Haitian public, as they are a very important tool in the reconstruction and future of Haiti. We need to urge civil society, the public, and especially the youth in Haiti to push against corruption from the bottom up, and to incorporate themselves into this fight from the beginning," Allein stated.

Didier Lavion, senior advisor to the PAO, highlighted the importance of this session by saying, "Yesterday's gathering of government officials, NGOs, and civil society was a productive start to the series of workshops facilitated by the PAO. The high degree of engagement by this diverse group of participants in this initial session indicates that this series comes at a critical time in Haiti's reconstruction process. The PAO is uniquely positioned to work with these stakeholders to provide insight and the tools necessary to promote and share integrity, transparency, and accountability across the development cycle."

Learn more about the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission: (IHRC)
The IHRC was created by presidential decree on April 21, 2010, in the wake of the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, 2010. The mission of the IHRC is to undertake the expeditious planning, coordination, and facilitation of development projects and priorities, including reviewing and approving projects and programs funded by bilateral and multilateral donors, NGOs and the private sector. The IHRC is co-chaired by Prime Minister of Haiti Jean-Max Bellerive and President Bill Clinton and is guided by a Board, which includes Haitian and non-Haitian stakeholders in reconstruction efforts.