ARTICLE - CLUB OF MADRID TO VISIT

THE CLUB OF MADRID SOON IN HAITI
(Haiti Libre) -

A fifth mission of the Club of Madrid will soon visit Haiti, former President of Mauritius Cassam Uteem and the former Prime Minister of Canada Joe Clark will lead this mission in addition to the participation of Deputy Secretary General Agüero and the international expert Valdés.

The fifth mission of the Club of Madrid’s Global Leadership for Haiti’s Reconstruction project is born out of the result of a collaboration of the Global Leadership Foundation and the Club of Madrid. Cassam Uteem, former President of Mauritius and member of the Club of Madrid, and Joe Clark, ex Prime Minister of Canada and Vice Chairman of the Global Leadership Foundation, will lead this mission, whose principal objectives are:

- to share with members of the Senate and Chamber of Deputies of Haiti experiences of constructive parliamentary action;

- to accompany a dialogue and reflection process on the role of external help as an instrument not only for the provision of new services, the construction of essential infrastructure, but also as a means to strengthen the country’s institutions;

- and thirdly to evaluate alongside political actors from civil society, the possibility of a national political agreement for the future of Haiti, and the details it could include.

The delegation will hold meetings with President Martelly, outgoing Prime Minister Bellerive and his proposed successor Conille, who will share with them their experiences of governance. The Haitian Senate and Congress will welcome a working group meeting to exchange ideas about parliamentary work in cohabitation and the relations between parliament and civil society. In Cap-Haïtien the delegation will meet with mayors and other local leaders to share their experiences of decentralization. The delegation will also hold talks with university vice chancellors, the international community, the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission and the business community with whom they will share examples of economic and business development.

The Club of Madrid indicates that it is "committed to the democratic future of Haiti and the wellbeing of its citizens, and desires to support the institutional building efforts which are currently being made by the Haitian authorities. The Club of Madrid firmly believes that the progressive strengthening of the country and the harmonisation of joint efforts will successfully bring about the conclusion of the reconstruction process and advance the development of the country", adding that "the possible confirmation by the Senate of a new prime minister, and the decision about the renewal or non renewal of the Interim Haiti Reconstruction Commission’s mandate, are two decisions which in the next few weeks will define key elements in the future strengthening of Haiti’s institutions as proposed by the Club of Madrid."

Cohabitation between the new cabinet and parliament presents an opportunity for the gathering of diverse new ideas and proposals upon which key consensuses can be built for the future of the country. If well managed, this plurality can be rich in its results, but it could also end in division and confrontation if it is used for purely personal purposes. Whether deciding to extend the mandate of the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission, or instead deciding to create a new Haitian entity that will lead the development process, a period of reflection arises, which will allow the redefinition of relations between the international donor community and Haiti, and to identify and to put into place the mechanisms that will give the country an opportunity to liberate itself from its external dependency on the world’s generosity.

"Club of Madrid Members, although they do not have the material means to assuage the needs that Haitians suffer from, they do have the power to urge those responsible to exercise their political responsibilities to improve the lives of Haitian citizens. Members of the Club of Madrid also have the political experience that they make to Haitian leaders with whom they engage on a peer-to-peer relationship. The exercise of power is a unique experience that can only be mastered by learning from the successes of those that have already enjoyed an opportunity to fail" concludes the Club of Madrid.

About the Club de Madrid

The Club de Madrid is an independent non-profit organization composed of 80 democratic former Presidents and Prime Ministers from 56 different countries, constituting the world’s largest forum of former Heads of State and Government, who have come together to respond to a growing demand for support among leaders in two key areas: democratic leadership and governance; and response to crisis and post-crisis situations. Both lines of work share the common goal of addressing the challenge of democratic governance and political conflict as well as that of building functional and inclusive societies, where the leadership experience of our Members is most valuable.