ARTICLE - PM - INT'L AID TO GOV'T

HAITI PRIME MINISTER CALLS FOR INTERNATIONAL AID TO PASS THROUGH GOVERNMENT
(Defend Haiti) -

WARSAW, Poland - At the European Development Days in Poland, Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille called for the establishment of a genuine partnership between the Haitian government and international donors.

Prime Minister Conille expressed his desire to see the management of international aid transferred to the responsibility of Haitian authorities through public institutions.

The prime minister also suggested the establishment of controls and indicators to monitor the funds that international donors impart to Haiti.

Lack of Transparency a Hurdle

For many decades, international aid and donations has gone through non-governmental organizations (NGOs) because of a history of corruption in the Haitian government.

The Martelly-Conille administration inherited the worst transparency rating in the Western Hemisphere by Transparency International in December of 2011, with a rating of 175 out of 182 countries, worldwide.

These problems are compounded as Conille heads a government of 20 officials including the president, where he is the only one who declared his assets, such as homes, business and bank accounts owned, within the 30-day period required by law.

After the earthquake of January 12, 2010, $10 billion [US] was pledge to Haiti but donors wanted to funnel these funds through a council called the Interim-Haiti Recovery Council (IHRC), headed by former U.S. President Bill Clinton. The IHRC expired in October and government officials are working to set up direct channels through the state.

Nobel laureates, Heads of States and world-renowned authorities on development are among the 6,000 participants and 1,500 organizations taking part in this year's European Development Days in Warsaw, Poland. The two day event held on December 15 and 16 were devoted to democracy, human rights and governance.