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“The Haitian government 

may not have the resources 

to directly implement programs, but it does have the 

resources to oversee and 

coordinate NGO activities. 

NGOs also need to engage 

the Haitian government in 

order to ensure their work 

aligns with long-term Haitian 

government priorities.”

April 26, 2010 

Haiti: A Republic of NGOs?

Summary

•	 Concerns about the role of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in Haiti’s development 

have been present for decades. However, these issues have gained increasing prominence 

following the January 12, 2010 earthquake that destroyed much of Port-au-Prince. 

•	 Historically, funneling aid through NGOs has perpetuated a situation of limited government 

capacity and weak institutions. Haitians look to NGOs rather than their government for basic 

public services. 

•	 Following the earthquake, international donors have recognized the importance for Haiti’s 

government to take the lead in recovery efforts. However, old habits die hard; the problems of 

government capacity and poor coordination of NGO efforts remain. 

•	 Haiti’s government has been criticized for not taking a more visible role in responding to 

people’s needs following the earthquake. If projects implemented by NGOs do not match 

up with the government’s priorities, the long-term success of recovery efforts will be 

undermined.

Is Haiti a Republic of NGOs?

Estimates of the number of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) operating in Haiti prior to the 

earthquake range from 3,000 to as many as 10,000. According to United Nations Special Envoy to 

Haiti former President Bill Clinton, Haiti had the second highest number of NGOs per capita in the 

world.1 The devastating earthquake of January 12, 2010, highlighted the critical role many of these 

NGOs play in providing essential services in health care, education and job creation. However, in the 

aftermath of the earthquake, the crucial work of these NGOs was tarnished by issues concerning 

NGO regulation and accountability, most vividly regarding the adoption of Haitian children. Concerns about NGO oversight and donor coordination have been present in Haiti for decades. With the 

proliferation of organizations in Haiti, this Caribbean country has been called the “Republic of NGOs.” 

Funding NGOs Undermines the Haitian Government 

NGOs often have greater capacity and more funding than the Haitian government. Fears of 

corruption have caused foreign donors to bypass the Haitian government and funnel financial 

and material assistance through NGOs. For example, in FY 2007-2008, USAID spent $300 million in 

Haiti, all of which was implemented through foreign NGOs. These projects often had more money 

than the entire Haitian Ministry of Planning. As a result, the Haitian government had little chance 

to develop the human or institutional capacity to deliver services. The Haitian people have learned 

Madeline Kristoff

E-mail: mkristoff@usip.org

Phone: 202.429.4767

Liz Panarelli

E-mail: lpanarelli@usip.org

Phone: 202.429.3875

peaceBrieF23
© USIP 2010 • All rights reserved.

Haiti: A Republic of NGOs?

page 2 • PB 23 • April 26, 2010

to look to NGOs, rather than the government, for provision of essential services. Funneling aid 

through NGOs perpetuated a cycle of low capacity, corruption and accountability among Haitian 

government institutions. 

One consequence of shifting responsibility to NGOs is the “brain drain” from the Haitian government to organizations funded by international donors. Private agencies are able to out-recruit 

the Haitian government by offering higher wages, benefits and better working conditions. The 

best-educated Haitians were often enticed away from working for the government, practically immobilizing an already-demoralized bureaucracy. Another consequence is that NGO-implemented 

projects often are not part of the government’s program and thus are not sustainable over the 

long–term. In 2008, the microfinance industry in Haiti was composed of 300 microfinance institutions, 240,000 borrowers and more than $100 million extended in loans. Haiti’s government, 

however, did not pass microfinance or consumer protection laws, and did not develop regulatory 

authority, a credit bureau, or legal status for many microfinance institutions. As a result, individual 

microfinance programs were disconnected and dependent on external funding, rather than being 

institutionalized into a sustainable, permanent and coordinated program. 

What Relationship Should the Haitian Government Have 

with NGOs? 

Last year at the April 2009 donors’ conference in Washington, statements by officials and NGO 

representatives indicated a welcome recognition of the importance for Haiti’s government to take 

the lead in identifying priorities and implementing programs. International donors promised to 

channel more aid through the public sector rather than through NGOs. At the same time, Haiti’s 

government announced its intention to play a greater role in setting priorities and supervising 

assistance programs. Following the 2009 donors’ conference, donors provided only $40 to $70 

million of the more than $350 million in pledges and continued to direct assistance through NGOs 

rather than the government. It remains to be seen whether the impact of the earthquake will 

cause donors to make good on promises made this year at the March 2010 donors’ conference to 

channel more assistance through the government.

 Channeling funds and increasing Haitian capacity are important but improvements in government performance will take time. In the interim non-governmental organizations are doing 

important work in Haiti, and they should continue to operate there. Attention must also be paid, 

however, to the role and relationship of the government to these NGOs. Experiences with poor 

coordination and oversight have demonstrated the need for a government role in regulating 

NGOs. This could be expanded to include government supervision of NGO operations. The Haitian 

government may not have the resources to directly implement programs, but it does have the 

resources to oversee and coordinate NGO activities. NGOs also need to engage the Haitian government in order to ensure their work aligns with long–term Haitian government priorities. In the 

example of microfinance, NGOs filled a gap in the economy, but it was necessary for the government to pass laws, create the infrastructure and provide the environment for further development 

rather than perpetuate dependency on foreign implementing organizations.

Some NGOs have successfully partnered with the Haitian government in the past. One example 

is Zanme Lamaste, the Haitian-run arm of the NGO Partners in Health. Zanme Lamaste has been 

active in Haiti since the 1990s. Originally operating independently from the government, Zanme 

Lamaste recognized the need to partner with the Ministry of Health in order to improve the public 

health system and reach everyone in the rural communities. Now, every clinic built by Partners in 

Health is a Ministry of Health clinic. This partnership model is a more challenging approach, which 
© USIP 2010 • All rights reserved.

United States 

Institute of Peace

1200 17th Street NW

Washington, DC 20036

202.457.1700

www.usip.org

About This Brief

This Peace Brief is based on a 

September 10, 2009 panel presentation and the views expressed on 

the roles of NGOs in Haiti during a 

meeting of the USIP Haiti Working 

Group. The panel consisted of 

John Chromy, vice president of 

CHF International, Rob Dressen, 

senior vice president of Development Alternatives Inc (DAI), Donna 

Barry, advocacy and policy director 

of Partners in Health, and François 

Pierre-Louis, associate professor 

at Queens College. Dr. Robert 

Maguire, associate professor at 

Trinity Washington University and 

chairman of USIP’s Haiti Working 

Group, served as moderator.

USIP provides the analysis, training and 

tools that prevent and end conflicts, 

promotes stability and professionalizes 

the field of peacebuilding.

For media inquiries, contact the office 

of Public Affairs and Communications, 

202.429.4725

Haiti: A Republic of NGOs?

page 3 • PB 23 • April 26, 2010

involves dealing with national and regional representatives of the Ministry of Health, hiring local 

staff, and establishing a sustainable project that will be handed over to the government when possible. Public-private partnerships such as this are important to achieving sustainability in countries 

with low incomes, because there is such a great need for public services. 

The March 31, 2010 donors’ conference created a temporary joint Haiti Recovery Commission 

headed by the U.N. special envoy, Haiti’s prime minister and a multidonor trust fund managed by the 

World Bank that pools money for big projects in Haiti and avoids wasteful redundancy. The conference’s proposal to create a permanent Haitian Development Authority to continue this work should 

be implemented before the mandate for the temporary commission expires. This authority should 

be empowered to coordinate the work of NGOs, which should be encouraged by donors to cooperate fully as a condition for obtaining funding and support. 

Recommendations

•	 NGOs have a role in providing social services and have been active in providing emergency 

response in the post-earthquake devastation, but greater accountability is needed. Groups 

interested in working in Haiti should sign on to the internationally recognized NGO Code of 

Conduct (ngocodeofconduct.org). The international donor community should reinforce the 

Haitian state’s capacity to regulate and coordinate NGOs, especially in the education, health 

and infrastructure (roads, buildings and reforestation). 

•	 The Haitian government should increase its ability to track NGO activities by creating a 

database of NGO projects in the country. UNDP was working on establishing this database 

for Haiti prior to the earthquake. This effort should be resumed immediately. 

•	 International NGOs must engage with Haitian NGOs and assist them in implementing projects. This will ensure a sustainable build-up of local expertise and strengthen civil society.

•	 NGO projects and donor funding must be aligned with government priorities. The Haitian 

government has made a considerable effort to establish itself in rebuilding the country, but if 

projects implemented by NGOs do not conform to government priorities progress will be not 

be sustained. 

Endnote

1. Daniel Trenton. “Bill Clinton Tells Diaspora: ‘Haiti Needs You Now.’” The Miami Herald, August 10, 

2009.