By Michelson Césaire, Le Nouvelliste, April 20, 2023
Haiti has adopted a five-year United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework Plan. This plan identifies problems facing the country and strategies for solving them. To carry out this five-year plan, the country must find from its partners over 1 billion US dollars. According to Ricard Pierre, who currently heads the Ministry of Planning and External Cooperation (MPCE), sum is already available.
Minister Pierre says that Haiti has chosen six of these objectives given the limited means available to the country. "Having a goal is one thing, having the means to achieve it is another," he said.
"The signing of this framework plan (2023-2027) allows us to concentrate our efforts in order to be able to move forward hand in hand with the same goal to achieve important results," Minister Pierre said. He claimed he is focused on transparency in the management of the fund. Pierre explained that "40% of the fund is available. We will show potential donors that the management of the fund is transparent, in order to mobilize the remaining 60%”.
For Minister Ricard Pierre, the five-year plan's signing ceremony is not only an adoption of a new framework plan for sustainable development, but an act of commitment by the United Nations to the Haitian people. According to the Minister, the fact that 21 representatives of United Nations agencies who endorse this new cooperation framework plan with the Haitian government is a decisive turning point in terms of support for an inclusive development process in Haiti.
This 2023-2027 framework plan has five major goals: governance and the rule of law, justice and human rights, an inclusive economic model, basic social services, the environment and multidimensional risk management, and territorial governance.
Minister Ricard Pierre made a point of emphasizing that the government is firmly committed alongside partners to the pursuit of these results. “The authorities are well aware of the need for good governance at all levels in order to maximize public satisfaction,” she said, calling for frank and fair cooperation between local and international institutions.
For Ulrika Richardson, the Humanitarian Coordinator of the United Nations system, this ceremony marks a turning point in the already rich history between Haiti and the United Nations. This document, she explained, demonstrates that despite the multiple crises that the country is going through, it is possible to develop a common and ambitious vision for Haiti.
Richardson says she believes there is work to be done to reduce violence, to work with the population so that they have access to basic services capable of creating a common vision for change. She also reiterated the priorities in cooperation based on governance, security and justice.
“The current crises are the direct consequence of the development deficit in Haiti. The backlogs are substantial. This delay reflects the urgency and the need for us to work differently in Haiti", Richardson said, before reaffirming the continued commitment of the United Nations to accompany Haiti on the path of development. sustainable.
“The United Nations Cooperation Framework requires us to renew our partnership and resource mobilization strategy in order to put Haiti on the path to sustainable development. We have no right to fail. The stakes are too high. The crises that the country is going through must resonate as a call to act”, she continued. Richardson said the five-year plan is clearly outlines the need to respond to the urgent and vital needs of Haitians and to address the root causes of the ills from which the country suffers.
United Nations Special Representative Maria Isabel Salvador praised Richardson's work, endorsing the plan. “The cooperation framework plan shows us the way forward for the next five years. The success of Haiti will depend on the success of BINUH's effort to establish this cooperation framework,” Salvador said. .
According to Salvador, there can be no progress in terms of governance and justice without guaranteeing human rights for all Haitians. “It is impossible to strengthen democratic institutions without political stability. We cannot support an inclusive national dialogue in Haiti without guaranteeing gender equality and the participation and empowerment of women", Salvador warned. She emphasized that BINUH is committed to strengthening its approach, based on mutual support between peace, security and stability.
The government says it strongly recommends that its partners work together in their interventions in order to maximize the satisfaction of the most disadvantaged sectors of Haitian society and leave no one behind.
We must all be aware of the challenges awaiting us in the implementation of this new cooperation framework, which calls for the pooling of resources from all sides in order to close the gaps caused by Haiti's delay in achieving sustainable goals.
The government is relying heavily on the long-awaited implementation and effects of the five-year plan .
"The situation is serious. The challenges are enormous. We must all embark on this process to transform it into an opportunity for the population generally", called further Ricard Pierre, inviting national actors and sectors to get involved and to participate.
According to Pierre, “failing to act quickly today will make us pay a heavier price for future generations.”
This five-year plan coincides with the launch of the humanitarian response plan. The United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework is a document drawn up with the participation of all actors in society under the leadership of the United Nations and the Ministry of Planning and External Cooperation.
Translated by CHIP editors
Posted May 28, 2023