POST-EARTHQUAKE
ACHIEVEMENTS

In the year since the earthquake, the OSE has provided both systemic and project-specific support to relief and recovery efforts, in addition to initiatives that existed prior to the disaster.

Support to the IHRC

• The OSE has played a key role in supporting the establishment of the IHRC as the lead actor in Haiti’s reconstruction. Throughout 2010 the OSE was heavily involved in the preparation of internal documents that underpin the IHRC’s work including the IHRC’s bylaws and strategy for December 2010 to September 2011. The OSE has also provided the IHRC co-chairs with regular briefings on IHRC board members’ aid activities.
• The OSE tapped its network to secure staff who are now on loan to the IHRC from other institutions.
• In collaboration with the Office of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Planning, and the NGO representative to the IHRC, the OSE provides technical assistance to both large and small NGOs regarding resources available to them through the IHRC.

Support to the Government of Haiti

• At the 31 March 2010 New York donor conference, the OSE provided technical assistance to the Government of Haiti, UNDP and the US Department of State by supporting the tracking of donor pledges—the first time that pledges were tracked in real time, online. These efforts rendered the conference one of the most transparent of its kind, and built upon advances made in tracking the April 2009 Washington, DC conference pledges to Haiti. The Special Envoy also served as co-host of the New York conference, where he introduced representatives from the NGO and “voice of the voiceless” consultations to the assembled donors. The representatives then articulated their interests in and perspectives on reconstruction.
• On behalf of the Government of Haiti, the OSE continues to publish regular updates on the status of the pledges made at the New York donors conference, as well as donors’ overall funding for Haiti, on its website (www.haitispecialenvoy.org). The OSE also provides internal briefings to the Government of Haiti and the co-chairs of the IHRC.
• The OSE convened the Government of Haiti, IHRC, UNDP and IDB, together with the technology firms Development Gateway, Infusion and Synergy, to collaborate on the development of an aid tracking system. The system is modeled after the one used in Indonesia and Sri Lanka following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
• The OSE is supporting the health planning process led by the Ministry of Health. The OSE has brought other partners onboard, including Harvard University, Partners in Health, the US Department of Health and Human Services, the US Agency for International Development, and a consortium of US medical schools for medical education planning.
• The Special Envoy consistently advocates for budget support as a critical category of financial aid to Haiti. In its advocacy with donors, multi-lateral institutions, NGOs and foundation partners, the OSE has promoted investment in budget support for the Government of Haiti. This advocacy effort has helped mobilize $210 million in new commitments to budget support following the earthquake, including $45 million through the Haiti Reconstruction Fund. This brings the total donor commitments for budget support to $310 million (for 2010 and 2011).
• Through the leadership and advocacy of the Deputy Special Envoy, the Hôpital Université d’État l’Haïti (HUEH) has received post-earthquake support from the American Red Cross totaling $3.8 million. This is the first time the non-profit has provided direct budget support to a government. The funding served to cover salaries, compensation and adjustments. The American Red Cross also provided a $500,000 grant for hospital equipment. An additional $2 million was approved for support to HUEH.
• Advocacy by the Deputy Special Envoy led to the commencement of construction of a public hospital in Mirebalais. US-based Nicholas Clark Architects donated pro bono design services, and the foundation for the main structure of the hospital is well under way. The Minister of Health’s executive cabinet is monitoring and evaluating progress.
• In an effort to prevent an outbreak of disease, and as part of a broad-based child protection effort, the OSE, together with UN partners and a number of NGOs, undertook large-scale de-worming activities in the recognized transitional camps as well as in periphery areas where displaced families also sought temporary shelter. The pre-earthquake de-worming campaign model was modified to account for disaster-related population shifts, and schools in the South, Central and Artibonite departments were selected for the continuation of the campaign. Between January and April 2010, several dozen national, parochial and private schools received anti-parasitic pills for de-worming.
• The OSE has worked closely with Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Secretary-General of the United Nations Leslie Voltaire, Minister of Tourism Patrick Delatour, the architect John McAslan, Architects for Humanity, and others to support the Haitian government in the area of housing and infrastructure. The OSE vetted and met with over 25 companies and organizations who have expressed interest in working in the housing and infrastructure sectors in Haiti. Specifically the OSE collaborated with Ambassador Voltaire to develop the framework for a major housing expo and urban planning seminar to be held in Port-au-Prince in mid-2011. The housing expo will provide an opportunity for all interested parties to come to Port-au-Prince and build model housing which will then be reviewed, inspected and vetted by the government. Simultaneously the urban planning seminar will include the construction of a “model community,” which will demonstrate how parts of the earthquake-impacted areas can be redeveloped with housing, schools, public utilities and services. This event will also allow producers of green products such as solar panels, cook stoves and composting toilets to demonstrate how their products can be integrated into the redevelopment process.
• The OSE has worked closely with partners (including the Government of Haiti, the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Organization for Migration, and UN-Habitat) in developing a clearer understanding of what the possibilities and obstacles are in Haiti’s land rights and tenure system, both in the ongoing humanitarian response, as well as in medium-term settlement. More recently the OSE has worked with local authorities to develop a compensation-for-land policy and to strengthen the system of social housing.
• The OSE provides technical assistance in refining strategies for the return of internally displaced persons to safe homes in safe neighbourhoods and the relocation from unsafe neighbourhoods, and is providing guidance on housing-related support outside the earthquake-affected regions. In this effort, the OSE is working with key clusters, UN-Habitat, UNDP and the IHRC senior advisor on housing.
• The OSE contributes to the ongoing discussions on the relocation and return of the approximately 810,000 internally displaced persons still in camps and informal settlements in and around Port-au-Prince. The OSE supports the government’s rapid allocation of land to construct settlement sites for those who can’t return to their neighbourhoods of origin or for those who faced housing challenges prior to the disaster. Consultations on these issues are supported at both the country and headquarters levels.
• The OSE, at the request of the Haitian government, reinitiated the effort to engage international partners working on watershed management and reforestation to promote a comprehensive national model and define more clearly roles and responsibilities of those involved. A colloquium was held in mid-June 2010 and resulted in a call for a common set of principles for watershed development in Haiti. This is the first time in Haiti’s history that the different players in this critical field have agreed to a common approach. The OSE will support the drafting of the common principles for approval by the Government of Haiti and partners, coordination process to be coordinated by the Ministry of Planning. The OSE is working closely with Mexico, the IDB, the World Bank, the United Nations Environment Programme, UNDP and others to further this agenda, in particular as it relates to the creation of jobs in ecosystem services outside of Port-au-Prince and therefore in fulfillment of the Haitian government’s decentralization strategy.

Immediate Response (Joint Efforts with the Clinton Foundation)

• In the first weeks after the earthquake, the OSE worked closely with the Clinton Foundation to deliver relief supplies to Haiti including over 14,000 solar flashlights and over 1,000 whistles for vulnerable women in the temporary settlement locations; over 220,000 pieces of clothing for displaced women, men and children; vital telecommunications and radio equipment for the Haitian government; and thousands of pounds of medical supplies. The OSE worked closely with the Haitian government including the Ministries of Health, Women’s Affairs, Interior and others to ensure all supplies reached vulnerable populations.
• Solar Outdoor Lighting donated 58 solar-powered streetlights to Haiti, which the Clinton Foundation shipped from Miami to Port-au-Prince. The OSE and the Clinton Foundation worked to ensure that lights were placed in strategic locations selected by the Haitian government in Port-au-Prince to help improve security.
• In mid-May 2010, Enersa, the only solar manufacturer in Haiti, reopened its production facility, which was badly damaged in the earthquake. The company will begin producing solar street lights again, and the OSE and the Clinton Foundation have been facilitating contacts between Enersa and potential investors in the US. The OSE has introduced Enersa to two US solar manufacturers to explore opportunities for partnerships or possibly an equity investment. The OSE also introduced Enersa to the Solar Electric Light Fund to explore possible collaborations on solar projects funded by NGOs in Haiti.
• A total of 68 generators have been donated to relief efforts in Haiti. Fifty-two of them were donated by Home Depot, and another 16 were donated by North Shore Generator Systems, Inc. to Partners in Health, a donation that the Clinton Foundation and the OSE helped to facilitate.
• After the earthquake, the Special Envoy personally escorted the following supplies to Haiti, coordinated through the Clinton Foundation and the OSE:
• 50 laptops from the IBM Foundation for the government of Haiti;
• 5,000 protein bars donated by Health Management Resources Corp.;
• 400 protein bars from Element;
• 280 tents donated by Kelty;
• 52 generators donated by Home Depot;
• 4 pallets of polyethylene sheeting donated by Home Depot;
• 2 pallets of five-gallon buckets donated by Home Depot;
• Approximately 1,900 pounds of medical supplies as well as 100 walkers and pairs of crutches, for GHESKIO, a Haitian-run health clinic in Port-au-Prince;
• 5,000 bottles of water;
• Medical supplies including syringes, medicines, painkillers, first aid, and surgical items; and
• Thousands of latrines.

Coordination (International Community, UN, NGOs)

• In July 2010, the OSE established a small office in Port-au-Prince, allowing for increased involvement in UN coordination on the ground. OSE technical experts both in Haiti and at headquarters participate in coordination meetings to determine how best the OSE can meet its commitment to “filling in the gaps.”
• The Special Envoy held meetings with the heads of UN entities on coordination before the earthquake, and on humanitarian efforts afterward. He also convened teleconferences with the heads of the UN clusters on the ground in Haiti.
• In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, the Special Envoy convened a series of high-level meetings of key partners, including donors, the private sector, the diaspora and the NGO community.
• The OSE, in close collaboration with the Inter-American Development Bank, has continued to maintain the CSO portal at www.csohaiti.org, and now offers access to more than 850 CSOs (over 390 of which have updated their profiles since the earthquake).
• The OSE supported the advocacy efforts of the revised 12-month, $1.5 billion United Nations humanitarian appeal. The appeal was launched by the Special Envoy on 18 February 2010. The revised appeal (July 2010) included 289 projects submitted by 76 aid organizations, and aims to assist people directly affected by the earthquake as well as families hosting the displaced throughout the country.
• Prior to the 31 March donors conference in New York, the OSE organized two of the five official consultative meetings with key stakeholders: a consultation with international NGOs, and a broad-based consultation with the Haitian citizenry:


UNICEF: Roger LeMoyne

• On 25 March, the OSE organized a high-level meeting with NGO representatives and umbrella groups from Haiti, Europe, Asia and North and South America to consult with them about the Haitian government’s action plan. Individuals representing hundreds of international NGOs, donor agencies, think tanks and academic institutions attended and were able to provide their perspectives on the role of NGOs in Haiti’s relief and recovery process. Representatives from this meeting reported on the outcomes at the 31 March donor conference in New York.
• Additionally, with the support of the UN in Haiti, the OSE led consultations with 1,750 representatives of Haiti’s poorest and most disenfranchised citizens in each of the ten departments. (Five focus groups were conducted per department.) The consultations were intended to capture the “voice of the voiceless,” an effort without precedent in any other campaign for international pledges. Populations interviewed included fishermen’s associations, amputees, orphans (and children separated from their families), university students, marketplace vendors, wounded hospital workers, local civic associations, and displaced people in camps. The survey indicated several clear desires on the part of the participants, who want:
  
  
- An end to exclusionary civic processes, and for all Haitians’ voices to be heard;
- Decentralization of power and commerce from the capital to the regions;
- Investment in all people, from infrastructure to health to job creation;
- Support to agriculture and an end to reliance on aid; and
- Equal treatment for all Haitians, regardless of class.


• The OSE offers advisory assistance to those private and corporate foundations interested in making investments in Haiti. In this capacity the OSE serves as an information resource and also identifies key areas of intervention for foundations. On 27 April 2010 the OSE participated in the Council on Foundations Annual Meeting and provided an overview and update of the situation in Haiti. The OSE has since begun working with the UN Foundation to plan a meeting with private and corporate foundations to actuate ideas discussed at the Council on Foundations meeting.
• The OSE facilitates exchange of information and resources among sector-specific networks and links them with the relevant ministries in an effort to align programmatic and service priorities with the national development plan and the thematic presidential commissions. The OSE primarily works with a network of NGOs focused on vulnerable populations and addresses cross-cutting issues such as gender, the disabled, and orphaned and vulnerable children. The OSE serves as a liaison for these NGO networks by providing relevant information from the IHRC as well as updates on development of policy issues set forth by the relevant ministries. (For example, the OSE worked with the United Nations Population Fund to support the Ministry of Women’s Affairs as it prepared and submitted a proposal to the IHRC.)

Cholera

• The Deputy Special Envoy has consolidated several global efforts to contain cholera in Haiti. By bringing together 80 medical and public health researchers, policymakers, funders, and practitioners through a series of conversations that have culminated in the publication of a consensus statement, he has led discussion and generated support for a comprehensive strategy linking prevention to care. Driven by the Deputy Special Envoy’s advocacy, outlined in articles published in peer-reviewed journals and the popular press, this multipronged approach has focused on broadening rehydration and antibiotic therapy, rolling out a large-scale vaccination campaign, and strengthening Haiti’s public water and sanitation systems. His leadership has focused the world’s efforts on responding to the acute problem in a coordinated manner, placing the Haitian government at the helm.
• At the outset of the cholera outbreak, the OSE provided support to the US military in reviewing the landscape in the Artibonite and assisting with the mapping of accessible areas for the distribution of oral rehydration and water purification materials, and community advocacy.
• The OSE assisted the Ministry of Health with the coordination of international and local NGOs providing emergency response to the initial group of infected individuals in the Artibonite. The OSE worked with the Ministry of Health and the district health authorities in developing a response plan.
• Working in close collaboration with the emergency response unit established by the Minister of Health and the President of Haiti, the OSE helped to establish a network of community health agents who conducted community awareness-raising in the most affected and remote areas of the Artibonite. The OSE played a lead role in the education committee of the Artibonite inter-cluster cholera response team by providing guidelines for educational materials produced by several NGOs.
• In close collaboration with the regional MINUSTAH office, the OSE convened the first meeting of the departmental representatives of each of the Government of Haiti ministries and worked on the elaboration of protocols and guidelines for each division, including burial and waste management issues. At the request of the Ministry of Health, and in collaboration with the departmental director, the OSE continued to work with the American Red Cross and other providers of essential medication for the Artibonite.
• The OSE also provided support to the local network of NGOs and community-based organizations in preparing a forum with local media (radio and television) to establish a plan for the diffusion of Ministry of Health approved educational messages for cholera prevention and management. The OSE worked with the central and departmental health ministries in the elaboration of a plan for several educational curricula aimed at the training of community health educators, health promoters and sanitary officers. Working with the departmental director and the Minister of Health, the OSE assisted in formulating the plan for a new certification programme agreed upon by the Ministry of Health and Tulane University. The programme is scheduled to launch in spring 2011.

Gender-Based Violence

• The OSE is actively working on solutions to sexual and gender-based violence, especially among IDPs and in formal and informal camps. The OSE, in conjunction with Partners in Health, has helped women and children who have been raped to find counseling and medical attention. If the survivor consents, she is connected with the International Bureau of Lawyers, which will help her pursue justice.
• Beyond its work on this issue with UN agencies, local and international NGOs, the OSE is also providing technical assistance to the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, per the request of the Government of Haiti, in the areas of capacity building and policy development. Achievements include the public education campaign (carrying a message of zero-tolerance on sexual assault), and a series of training of trainers for the women’s commissions established in several camps to monitor and support victims.
• The OSE has also been working with the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and a network of NGOs to collect data on the incidence of rape and sexual assault. The data and analysis has been used to influence policy to increase frequency of patrols by the Haitian National Police and MINUSTAH and to increase lighting in camps.
• The OSE is working with several women’s networks, some of which comprise as many as 50 different women’s organizations (both urban and rural, in the areas most affected by the earthquake). The OSE is also working closely with the General Hospital in Port-au-Prince to establish a multi-disciplinary rape crisis unit to address the growing number of rapes in the camps. In addition, the OSE continues, with the support of the Clinton Foundation, to distribute flashlights and whistles as part of its public education and prevention campaign. To date, over 100,000 lights and whistles have been distributed.

Environment and Disaster Risk Reduction

UN Photo: Sophia Paris

• With facilitation from the OSE, on the occasion of Earth Day 2010, Advanced Environmental Recycling Technologies, Inc. (AERT), James Lee Witt Associates, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, and Haiti Recycling launched Haitian Green Partners, an initiative focused on recycling and waste processing in Haiti. The project builds on AERT’s 25 years of recycling experience in the US and Haiti Recycling’s knowledge of Haitian markets, and will support and significantly expand current waste management initiatives throughout Haiti. Once materials are collected through a network of new centres, AERT and other large-volume manufacturers will purchase the materials and convert them into value-added, green end-products. This initiative will create hundreds of sustainable jobs while helping to clean up Port-au-Prince and other urban centres in all ten departments.
• The OSE provided technical support to the construction of 20 hurricane shelter units in Léogâne, a town highly susceptible to storms. Funding included $1 million from the Clinton Foundation, and the project is part of a $4 million, IHRC-approved programme funded by the World Bank, IDB, and the American Red Cross, implemented by the International Organization for Migration and the government’s civil protection authority.
• The OSE initiated a rapid multi-hazard analysis in collaboration with the World Bank, IDB, UNDP and the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. This analysis produced maps of flood, wind, tsunami, landslide and earthquake risks in the affected areas to guide the safe positioning of transitional shelters and to support longer-term recovery efforts. The information was widely circulated and all data was shared with national institutions.
• After the earthquake, the World Food Programme (WFP) agreed to purchase the entire supply of Love ’N Haiti recycled fuel briquettes as a fuel source for preparing meals in schools and temporary relocation sites. This proven model, which was established before the earthquake, can be replicated in urban centres throughout Haiti. One such additional installation is already completed in Port-au-Prince and a second is underway.
• The OSE and the Clinton Foundation worked closely with Professor Jim Lyons and the Yale Forestry School to organize the Environmental Stewardship and Sustainable Livelihoods in Rural Haiti Workshop in May 2010. The OSE and the Clinton Foundation facilitated the participation of Haitian government officials including Agriculture Minister Joanas Gue and Environment Minister Jean-Marie Claude Germain. The OSE and the Clinton Foundation also reached out to the private sector in Haiti and abroad to ensure the comprehensive participation of agribusinesses and forestry companies.
• The OSE initiated a high-level visit to Haiti of the SRSG for Disaster Risk Reduction, Margareta Wahlstrom, in the aftermath of the earthquake. The SRSG briefed representatives of the Government of Haiti, donors and international partners, and identified specific priority actions regarding disaster risk reduction: integrating disaster risk concerns into the recovery portfolio; engaging with the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission; and prioritizing preparations for the upcoming hurricane season, focusing on vulnerable groups.
• The OSE has worked closely with the Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF) to identify needs and opportunities for solar power in Haiti. The OSE and SELF worked with Solar Outdoor Lighting to introduce solar street lighting to Port-au-Prince directly after the earthquake to provide security around the temporary settlement locations, and also to determine the best handheld solar products for use in Haiti. With experience in the installation and use of solar panels and solar-powered drip irrigation in 20 countries, SELF is committed to applying its knowledge of innovative solar solutions to the recovery efforts. SELF is expanding its existing work in Haiti to provide solar technology for health clinics throughout the Central Plateau: clinics in Hinche and Cerca la Source have received solar units, and five additional solar installations are in the planning phase.
• With the support of Andrew White (see also “Pre-Earthquake Achievements”), the OSE, the Interministerial Committee for Territorial Planning (CIAT), IDB and other partners held a national workshop on watershed management that took place in June 2010. The workshop has informed the document establishing new guidelines for watershed management in Haiti, to be issued by CIAT in early 2011.
• The OSE supported the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), in concert with the Directorate of Energy of the Ministry of Public Works, to establish:
• A working group led by the government for the exploration of the use of efficient stoves to diminish or eliminate the consumption of charcoal or firewood.
• A working group for the large-scale introduction of liquid propane gas, with the participation of the private sector.
• Promotion (in collaboration with Brazilian NGO VivaRio) of biogas projects fueled by human waste.
• Preparation of a project for the IHRC for the institutional strengthening of the Ministry of Public Works to oversee private sector investments in energy.
• The OSE participated in the evaluation and revision of environmental components of projects submitted to the IHRC. Three projects for environmental recovery in southern Haiti were approved in the October 2010 IHRC meeting—one each for UNEP, IDB and UNDP. The UNEP project, in which Norway, Catholic Relief Services, and Columbia University are also partners, was launched on 4 January 2011 in Port-Salut. It will be implemented over a period of 20 years, and aims at the recovery and sustainable development of severely degraded land and marine areas. Ten communes, with a total population of 205,000, will benefit directly from the programme, which will include reforestation, erosion control, fisheries management, mangrove rehabilitation and small business and tourism development, as well as improved access to water and sanitation, health and education.
• The OSE, in coordination with the South-South Cooperation Unit of UNDP, is working on the creation of a workstation, or small office, for the promotion of micro- and small enterprises in Haiti. The workstation will be within the OSE’s own field office in Port-au-Prince. UNDP is currently recruiting a coordinator to run the workstation, which will promote market-driven technology transfers.
• The OSE, UNEP, and the International Organization for Migration are testing a set of 20 portable toilets donated by Separette of Sweden to contribute to the search of solutions for sanitation and safety. As these toilets are portable, they can be placed inside houses or tents, thus providing greater safety for women and children. Further, these toilets use a biodegradable bag, which can go to a collection site where it can be safely discarded or used for compost.