International donors meet to rally support for Haiti

Speaking ahead of an international donors' conference on Haiti 31 March, the MEP heading parliament's delegation said "it is imperative to rebuild the country in order not to repeat past mistakes". Speaking to us from New York French MEP and Vice- Chair of the Development Committee Michèle Striffler said the eradication of corruption and development of good governance are vital. The EU has already pledged €1.2 billion to help the devastated island after the 12 January earthquake.
Before leaving for the US, Ms Striffler called on the EU to move swiftly to unblock aid and to make a substantial donation towards the rebuilding of Haiti.

Ms Striffler - part of the centre right European People's Party - said, "it is essential that the Government of Haiti and the Haitian people fully take on their leadership role in the process of coordinating and implementing reconstruction".

We asked her what could be done to ensure aid reaches the people it is intended for. "There should be transparency in managing the funds and the needs assessment must target the most vulnerable, notably women and children. Civil society and local communities must be involved as much as possilbe to ensure a participatory system."

She called for "control by the European Parliament every 3 months on the implementation of aid and funds management". Finally she stressed the need for "a new, strong support for the good governance of the country".

Hosted by the UN and US in cooperaton with the Haiti government, the conference brings will be co-chaired by Brazil, Canada, the EU, France, and Spain as leading donors to Haiti. The EU is represented by the High Representative for foreign policy Catherine Ashton, two Commissioners and two Members of the European Parliament.