Spain to represent the EU at the Haiti forum in Montreal

Published: 25 January 2010 y., Monday

Tarptautinė pagalba lėtai pasiekia žemės drebėjimo aukas Haityje
The First Deputy Prime Minister of the Spanish government, María Teresa Fernández de la Vega, will attend, on behalf of Spain and the European Union (EU),  the international conference to lay the foundations for the reconstruction of Haiti which takes place in Montreal (Canada) on Monday.

The 27 Member States have already approved 430 million euros of aid for humanitarian supplies and medium-term reconstruction.

Fernández de la Vega visited Haiti on 17 January to personally see the damage caused by the earthquake and assess the extent of the aid needed. The following day she was in the Dominican Republic where she took part in the preparatory meeting for the Montreal forum.

The Montreal meeting will focus on coordinating the influx of humanitarian aid being sent to Haiti to answer the most pressing needs of the hundreds of thousands of victims, and also prepare a summit meeting to discuss the reconstruction of the Caribbean country.

The Prime Minister of Haiti, Jean-Max Bellerive, the heads of foreign affairs of the USA (Hillary Clinton), Brazil  (Celso Amorim), France (Bernard Kouchner) and the Dominican Republic (Carlos Morales Troncoso) are expected to attend the meeting, together with the Minister of Economy of the Dominican Republic, Temístocles Montás.

Also present will be representatives from Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Japan, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay, The Caribbean Development Bank, CARICOM, the Inter-American Development Bank, the IMF, la OAS, the World Bank , the UNO and various non-governmental organisations.

In addition to aid, the Montreal conference will also discuss the issue of a possible exodus of refugees and immigrants to surrounding countries, above all the Dominican Republic .

In the Foreign Affairs Council of the EU, which is also set to take place on Monday in Brussels, Spain will propose that existing applications to adopt Haitian children be speeded up and that international measures should be sought to provide care and protection for unaccompanied minors or orphans.

De la Vega stressed that “Our commitment to Haiti is clear and steadfast. We fully intend, together will the international community, to stand by the Haitians in the reconstruction of their country”.


 

Šaltinis: europa.eu
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.

Facebook Comments

New comment


Captcha

Associated articles

The most popular articles

Passenger plane crashes in Pakistan

A commercial Pakistani passenger plane crashes in bad weather near the capital Islamabad, with more than 150 people on board. more »

Catalonia bans bullfighting

Lawmakers in Catalonia outlaw bullfighting in a key vote that signals the first time the blood sport is banned in a mainland region of Spain. more »

Message of condolences of President Barroso to the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan

Message from Mr José Manuel Durão Barroso, President of the European Commission, to His Excellency Mr. Asif Ali Zardari, President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. more »

EU opens accession negotiations with Iceland

The first intergovernmental conference on the accession of Iceland to the European Union was held in Brussels today, formally opening accession negotiations with this country. more »

Russians' glacial escape from heat

Russia's hottest weather spell in 30 years continues as people look for ways to cool off and officials worry over the threat of forest fires. more »

EU and China should increase cooperation to fight climate change

Following on from the meeting of the EU-China Civil Society Round Table in Chongqing, a seminar on Trade and Development took place in Shanghai from 22 to 24 July 2010. more »

Castro to mark revolution's start

Some Cubans seem content while other express frustration toward the government on the eve of the 57th anniversary of the start of the Cuban revolution. more »

€10 million in humanitarian aid provided for refugees and people affected by the conflict in Yemen

Today, the European Commission announced a funding package of €10 million to respond to urgent humanitarian needs exacerbated by a lack of support from the international community. more »

Mexico and WB expand strategic partnership

Mexico and the World Bank reinforced their strategic partnership on key development issues, after a two day working visit by World Bank Group (WBG) President Robert B. Zoellick. more »

Commission allocates € 15 million to address ongoing humanitarian needs in Zimbabwe

Today, the European Commission has adopted a € 15 million aid package to support the reestablishment of essential health and water supply services and to provide food assistance, short term food security and livelihood support in Zimbabwe. more »