The Whole World Has A Stake In Haiti’s Reconstruction

Carnot Sylvestre, MS

It has been over three weeks since an earthquake devastated Haiti’s capital of Port-au-Prince and other major cities in the country. Key edifices have crumbled; the national cathedral, the presidential palace, and most government buildings are in ruins; the majority of schools, churches and other institutions have been shattered.

Over 200,000 deaths have been reported, hundreds of thousands of Haitians sustained severe injuries and close to 70% of homes in Port-au-Prince and surrounding towns have been destroyed, forcing millions of Haitians to live in makeshift tents set up in open fields, not knowing how or when a permanent solution will be found.

Prior to the earthquake of January 12th, Haiti was already an impoverished country that lacked basic infrastructures to support the needs of its 9 million citizens who live in congested areas with virtually no access to electricity, potable water, adequate means of transportation or medical care. In months and years to come, there will be various opinions as to why Haitians, who take so much pride in being the first black independent nation in the new world, have allowed their country to deteriorate so badly.

What is certain now is that Haiti must be rebuilt. The reconstruction process will be long and costly but it must start immediately. Strict engineering and safety codes must require that all future buildings, roads and other infrastructures be designed and built to withstand a certain degree of natural shocks or calamities. Since Haiti sits on two seismic fault lines and in a hurricane corridor, it is reasonable to assume that the country might experience some kind of natural disasters in the future.

Soon after the earthquake of January 12th, the international community has responded in force to help in the rescue efforts and bring medical aid as well as food and water to the victims of the disaster. The Haitian government which had been remarkably invisible in the rescue phase simply lacks the financial and technological resources to rebuild the country. The international community must therefore take the responsibility to adequately plan, finance and execute the reconstruction of Haiti.

Country donors such as the United States, Canada, France, Germany, and others can seize this opportunity to transform Haiti into a “green country”, with relatively self-sufficient towns built in less congested areas across the country. Each town should be built according to the most environment-friendly standards. For instance, solar panels can be integrated into new construction projects to take advantage of the abundance of energy that the sun provides Haiti all year long; wind farms can be installed in carefully selected locations using wind turbines to convert wind energy into electricity; rain water can be recycled and used for drinking, sanitation or even irrigation. In using their latest “green materials and technology” to rebuild Haiti, the donor countries would have an ideal opportunity to showcase and put to work their latest “environment-friendly” construction and technological innovations. They would transform Haiti into a model of sustainable environmental success that can be transferred to other countries in the developing world.

In addition to helping in the reconstruction, the donor countries can take concrete steps to help Haiti attain a certain degree of self-sufficiency. For a determined length of time, they can remove trade barriers and establish preferential tariff treatment for goods imported from Haiti and give tax incentives to companies that make a direct foreign investment in the Caribbean country. These measures would give a major boost to the Haitian economy, facilitate an increase in farming activities, develop a manufacturing base, generate jobs and help create significant tax revenues that the government can use to honor foreign debts, pay employees, invest in education, healthcare, roads, bridges, telecommunications, and other infrastructure projects.

Haitians must certainly do their part. They must remove the obstacles that have for so long hindered their country’s progress. They must commit themselves to make necessary social, political and economical changes that hold officials accountable for the way they run public affairs and bring about respect of human rights. These changes should also lead to the decentralization of government power, elimination of cronyism and corruption in government positions, free and fair elections, adoption of free market economy, establishment of a fair and progressive tax system, and adequate access to education and employment.

The end result will be that Haiti would gradually become less dependent on foreign aid for its most basic needs. With the cycle of utter poverty they find themselves finally coming to an end, Haitians would opt to stay and work in their country and participate in its prosperity. They would no longer think that their only shot at a decent life would be to leave for some foreign countries.

Rebuilding Haiti will be a difficult and expensive task that will take a serious and dedicated effort on the part of the international community. Not helping Haitians adequately rebuild their country and society may prove to be much costlier financially and in terms of casualties when the next major natural disaster strikes.

Carnot Sylvestre MS, is CEO/founder of Tonrac Communications, an international marketing and public relations agency with offices in Sharon, Massachusetts and Ansbach, Germany.