At its substantive session for 2004, the Economic and Social Council decided to reactivate the Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Haiti (resolution 2004/52 of 23 July 2004). A few months later, in its decision 2004/322 of 11 November 2004, it appointed as its members the Permanent Representatives of Benin, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Haiti, Spain and Trinidad and Tobago to the United Nations. The President of the Economic and Social Council and the Special Representative of the SecretaryGeneral in Haiti were also invited to participate. At its first meeting, on 23 November 2004, the Group decided that Ambassador Allan Rock, Permanent Representative of Canada to the United Nations, would chair the Group.
The Economic and Social Council Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Haiti was tasked by the Council to follow and advise on the long-term development of Haiti.
In April 2005, the Group travelled to Haiti in conjunction with the Security Council.
The Group recognizes that the new Government to be installed in February 2006 will face immense challenges. However, there are elements on which to build, such as progress in macroeconomic stability and economic governance and the possibility of a Highly Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) Initiative. The Interim Cooperation Framework should by that time be producing visible results from the many projects already under way and those announced in Cayenne, French Guiana, in February 2005.
The first action of the new Government should be the determination of its short-, medium- and long-term priorities. Work is under way to lay the foundation for a Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper, which the incoming Government could consider as its medium-term planning document. A broad range of national actors, including women’s associations, entrepreneurs, academics, small farmers and other civil society voices, should be engaged so as to build an ongoing national dialogue on the way forward.
The new Government will not be able to tackle everything that needs to be done at once: it will need to focus on a few areas to demonstrate to the Haitian people that action is being taken. The careful sequencing of activities will be critical to building stronger government ministries and services, and to ensuring that steps to modernize the economy have a positive effect on the poor.
The Group recognizes that the chief responsibility for the building of a stable and democratic Haiti rests in the hands of the Haitian people. However, the international community, including through the Economic and Social Council, must play a supporting role over the long term. With that in mind, the Group makes recommendations for consideration and action by the Council. These recommendations are addressed to the Economic and Social Council, the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) and the United Nations country team, the Haitian authorities and the donor community.