HomeReportsBureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs…Report on Supplemental Assistance Provided to Haiti Since 2010 Through March 31, 2017

# 					Report on Supplemental Assistance Provided to Haiti Since 2010 Through March 31, 2017			

 In this section										/

													Introduction											

                -  Introduction   
                -  Tab 1: Supplemental Report   
                -  Tab 2: Public Outreach and Consultations with Civil Society Organizations   
                -  Tab 3: Supplemental Financial Report as of March 2017   
                -  Tab 4: Haiti Strategy   
                -  Tab 5: Additional Quantitative and Qualitative Indicators for Earthquake Response   
                -  Tab 6: Health and Disabilities Program Update through March 2017   

							Introduction					

This Report on Supplemental Assistance for Haiti is provided in response to Senate Report 113-195 accompanying S. 2499, incorporated by reference into the Joint Explanatory Statement accompanying the U.S. Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2015 (Div. J, P.L. 113-235), and calls for the Secretary of State to continue to submit the report on supplemental assistance for Haiti described in section 1003(b) of the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2010 (P.L. 111-212) every 180 days until such funds are expended, as recommended in the U.S. Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) “Haiti Reconstruction” report (GAO-13-558). This report provides an update to the December 2016 submission of obligations, expenditures, and program outputs and outcomes funded by supplemental appropriations within the Post-Earthquake U.S. Government Haiti Strategy Toward Renewal and Economic Opportunity and includes an update on activity through March 2017.

							Tab 1: Supplemental Report					

This Report on Supplemental Assistance for Haiti is provided in response to Senate Report 113-195 accompanying S. 2499, incorporated by reference into the Joint Explanatory Statement accompanying the U.S. Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2015 (Div. J, P.L. 113-235), and calls for the Secretary of State to continue to submit the report on supplemental assistance for Haiti described in section 1003(b) of the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2010 (P.L. 111-212) every 180 days until such funds are expended, as recommended in the U.S. Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) “Haiti Reconstruction” report (GAO-13-558). This report provides an update to the December 2016 submission of obligations, expenditures, and program outputs and outcomes funded by supplemental appropriations within the Post-Earthquake U.S. Government Haiti Strategy Toward Renewal and Economic Opportunity and includes an update on activity through March 2017.

Since January 2010, the U.S. government has committed $3.3 billion and disbursed $2.7 billion for reconstruction and development activities in Haiti. This amount includes the $918 million in emergency supplemental funding appropriated by Congress after the January 2010 earthquake.

Infrastructure and Energy. The U.S. government provided housing solutions for over 328,000 individuals and supported efforts with other donors that resulted in nearly 94 percent of people in displaced persons camps finding alternative housing arrangements after the earthquake. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) shifted away from building new settlements, with 906 homes constructed at two locations and 426 constructed in partnership with other donors at two other locations (the number of sites was reduced with the termination of our work at one location due to technical and operational issues). In support of the Government of Haiti’s housing strategy, USAID assistance now focuses on improving existing communities and leveraging the ability of low-income Haitian households to build and improve their homes by accessing domestic credit markets. USAID’s housing finance program has engaged a number of private sector actors including financing institutions and property developers. The program continues to grow, with new banks participating in the activity and an increasing number of loans issued for repairs, improvements, extensions, and new housing work. To date, with USAID financing of $482,000, partner financing institutions have committed over $10 million for loans, with $3.1 million already disbursed for 451 loans.

By request of the Haitian government, port assistance was redirected from constructing a new port at Fort Liberté to rehabilitating the port at Cap-Haïtien to meet the near- to medium-term demand for modern container and bulk cargo port services in the northern part of Haiti. The U.S. government in collaboration with the Government of Haiti developed the procurement documents for a Government of Haiti public-private partnership transaction contract for operation and maintenance of the improved port, and USAID-funded design/build port contract. The Government of Haiti projects it will award an agreement for port operation and maintenance in late summer 2017. USAID completed the pre-qualification stage of its procurement process. The request for proposals is under development and a contract award is planned for late 2017 with an anticipated 30-month design/build period. USAID’s previously awarded contracts for customs and regulatory reforms and implementation are proceeding. In support of promoting economic growth in the north, reliable electricity continues to be provided to the tenants of the Caracol Industrial Park and five surrounding communities in which electricity bill collection rates exceed 85 percent on a regular basis.

Food and Economic Security. The Feed the Future/North (FtF/N) project is being implemented and is successfully increasing the incomes of thousands of Haitian farmers. This success is notably at a slower pace than anticipated due to two droughts, a major flood, and management problems. In addition to FtF/N, four new agricultural projects – including two small activities with local partners – in the west and Saint Marc corridors have started as follow-ons to the previous FtF/West program, which officially ended in February 2015. Through U.S government agricultural programs, the combined effect of increased yields, better resource management, and the strengthening of markets has had a significant positive impact on food security by significantly increasing farmers’ incomes and improving their livelihoods. The Feed the Future projects have introduced improved seeds, fertilizer, and innovative technologies to over 100,000 farmers. These activities have increased yields in four focus crops – rice, corn, beans, and plantains – and have also increased exports for mango and cacao. The introduction of new technology, coupled with appropriate inputs and the rehabilitation of irrigation canals, allows farmers to double or triple yields of the focus crops. USAID has systematically protected watersheds above agricultural zones by planting more than five million fruit and forest tree seedlings, building close to 400 greenhouses, and constructing gabions to increase water infiltration. Greenhouses were introduced to allow farmers to generate income and keep from destroying the environment by alleviating the need to cut down trees for farming. USAID has also strengthened agricultural markets by putting farmers directly in contact with end buyers and publishing current crop prices for farmers through the use of text messaging.

The U.S. government strategy is helping achieve the Haitian government’s goal of creating jobs and increasing household income levels, savings, and other assets, resulting in increased economic security. The matching grant program for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is completed. A total of 47 grants were awarded through December 2016, leveraging over $12 million in private sector investment for $7.6 million of USAID funds. To date, this grant program has created over 12,878 new jobs. Through the Local Enterprise and Value Chain Enhancement program, the U.S. government is also providing technical assistance and business development services as well as equity funding to help SMEs become more competitive and better able to manage their assets. This includes technical assistance in both product quality and management and workers’ training. This program is actively working with 621 SMEs and has already created over 2,739 full-time equivalent jobs. The U.S. government in partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Haitian government, continues to supply reliable power in the north to the tenants of the Caracol Industrial Park and five surrounding communities as previously mentioned, and so far the park has created over 11,000 jobs. Commercial banks have increased their lending to SMEs using USAID’s Development Credit Authority guarantee program. These programs are working to help Haiti’s private sector, which is an essential contributor to the country’s long-term economic development and vitality.

Health and Other Basic Services. Progress continues toward rebuilding Haiti’s health infrastructure. The Government of Haiti awarded a design-build contract for the Haiti State University Hospital, funded through a $15 million contribution from each of the following donors: the U.S. government, Agence Française de Developpement, and the Government of Haiti. USAID funded $20 million for the construction of the National Campus of Health Sciences. With work substantially complete, the facility is now operational. Construction continued on the remainder of the health infrastructure portfolio with a number of the smaller clinic upgrades already completed and construction work on the Justinien Hospital underway. Sustainability of major capital investments continues to be a focus of discussions with the Ministry of Health. The disabled population continues to be a major focus of the U.S. government strategy. See Tab 6 for details on the disabilities program.

Governance and Rule of Law. Haiti’s largest-ever class of 1,475 police cadets graduated from basic training in May 2016. The Haitian National Police (HNP) determined that the police school facilities were inadequate to consistently support classes of this size. Classes were reduced in order to improve the quality of training, with 946 cadets graduating in March 2017. With this graduation, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) has supported 5,713 new HNP officers since the 2010 earthquake, and the HNP is 350 officers short of reaching its five-year target of 15,000 officers. The police are matching growth in the force with strong leadership. The interim government appointed Haiti’s only graduate of the FBI academy as HNP Director General in April 2016, and he was confirmed by parliament for a three-year term in August. As the first career officer to rise to this rank from the entry level, he appointed several U.S.-trained officers to leadership positions. Six of 13 senior officers whom INL supported since 2010 in the executive-level Inter-American Defense College training program now head key police units, including regional departments, corrections, the presidential guard, and strategic planning. The HNP lacks administrative and operational capacities and resources to become self-sustaining. Haiti must address rule of law challenges in its corrections and justice sectors. The Haitian government will need to build upon policing successes and to focus on improving prison conditions and on adopting systemic legal reforms to address pre-trial detention.

The Haitian-led community police “youth explorer” outreach program, mentored by INL-funded rotations of New York City Police officers, produced in its first year several candidates who competed to become police cadets in 2015-2016. INL prioritizes gender equality in all of its programs. The HNP promotes women to higher positions and seeks placements for women in elite units. INL completed two prisons in 2016, a 250-bed women’s prison in Cabaret in January, and a 300-bed prison in Fort Liberté in August. In addition, INL funded the completion of a prison in Hinche with the support of UNOPS in 2017. INL will complete construction of one additional prison in 2017. The HNP trained and assigned 183 members of the most recent graduating cadet class to bolster the understaffed corrections department to help it open and operate new facilities. In December 2015, Haiti achieved its first prosecution of a government official under its 2014 anti-corruption law, resulting in a conviction, prison sentence, and fines. In 2016 Haiti initiated three new prosecutions involving 11 defendants, including a government official, and obtained three trafficking convitions, including that of a former government official, under the 2014 anti-trafficking-in-persons law. Judges in all cases credited U.S. (INL and USAID-provided) mentoring with assisting the successful adjudications.

One of the core principles of the U.S. government Haiti strategy is that assistance will be Haitian-led to build the country’s capacity. The U.S. government has involved Haitian civil society organizations in identifying priorities and in conceptualizing, designing, and implementing its programs, while keeping communities apprised of progress and changes in activity timelines. Such engagement is critical to ensuring local ownership, sustainability of activities, and transparent distribution of resources. In anticipation of transitioning from a post-earthquake strategy, USAID/Haiti held individual strategic consultations with numerous civil society representatives; fifteen Haitian government ministries and six donor agencies; two consultative strategic fora with an estimated 230 civil society leaders and/or implementing partners; and a diaspora roundtable with an estimated 30 representatives from key diaspora organizations. In addition, in the wake of Hurricane Matthew, the Haiti Mission conducted five external stakeholder consultation sessions using the Open Space Technology (OST) approach. Working with an expert facilitator, the OST approach enabled approximately 700 local participants to voice their perspectives on some of the most critical development challenges facing Haiti in a way that was inclusive and efficiently organized. These consultations have strengthened partnerships with local beneficiaries, constituents, and stakeholders from five different urban centers across Haiti, including Port-au-Prince, while obtaining data to inform future programming.

							Tab 2: Public Outreach and Consultations with Civil Society Organizations					

The U.S. government strategy for outreach to the Haitian public and civil society aims to highlight progress throughout the life of its programs in Haiti. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) also actively promotes the ability of civil society organizations (CSOs) and grassroots organizations to engage with Haitian government officials at both the national and local levels. This strategy includes events that promote awareness of program startup, midterm achievements and successful completion, as well as other public events – all of which are well covered by local media.

The USAID Mission designed a multi-media strategy to communicate USAID’s programmatic efforts that address the Haitian people’s priorities and demonstrate the U. S. government’s long-term commitment to supporting the Government of Haiti in its effort to create sustainable development. The multi-media strategy is comprised of diverse outreach mechanisms that focus on the successful collection and dissemination of information that tracks USAID progress in Haiti; outreach to local media; and direct communication with local implementing partners, civil society, and the Haitian public.

USAID hosts frequent public events in French and Creole with local media providing coverage. Public outreach events include officials from the Government of Haiti, local implementing partners, and civil society. The Mission also engages with the Haitian public through participation in radio talk show programs, which are the primary news source for nearly 90 percent of Haitians. For example, USAID’s Feed the Future program in Haiti sponsored a series of radio broadcasts on a number of agricultural topics that also served to showcase U.S. support to food production and agricultural sector growth. To further these efforts, USAID has been increasing communications with local audiences through video productions in Creole, which are broadcast on local television and posted on the internet. USAID social media outreach, in English, French, and Creole, is done in close coordination with the Embassy’s public diplomacy social media outreach on Twitter and Facebook. This social media outreach also reaches the Haitian diaspora, which actively influences and plays an important role in supporting the country’s development efforts. On average, USAID/Haiti does four public outreach and media events a month across all USAID sectors of programming and regularly featuring the Mission Director or the United States Ambassador or Chargé d’Affaires and Haitian government ministers and officials.

To hear directly from local organizations, USAID/Haiti conducted five external stakeholder consultation sessions using the Open Space Technology (OST) approach. Working with an expert facilitator, the OST approach enabled approximately 700 local participants to voice their perspectives and insights on some of the most critical development challenges facing Haiti in a way that was inclusive and efficiently organized. As a result, the Mission strengthened partnerships with local beneficiaries, constituents, and stakeholders from five different urban centers across Haiti – including Port-au-Prince – in a way that will inform future programming.

Haitian civil society organizations play a core role in implementing USAID programs. To buttress this role, USAID provides business planning, fundraising, management, and technology support to Haitian grantees to strengthen their operations.

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) works actively with the Embassy’s Public Affairs Section to communicate its contributions to the development of the Haitian National Police (HNP). Creole-speaking staff members have been interviewed on local radio stations about U.S. government police and prison programs. INL supported a subject matter expert embedded within the HNP Women’s Affairs and developed Gender-Based Violence (GBV) response centers within the major departmental police stations throughout the country.

INL also supports the HNP Inspector General’s Office (IG) with an embedded expert. That office reported a 12 percent increase in calls in the second year of an anonymous hotline established in 2014, which the IG attributed to improved public confidence in the HNP to address issues. The IG continues to hold monthly press conferences and regular meetings with regional and religious authorities to update the public on police internal affairs and remind citizens how to submit complaints. As a result of collaboration with civil society groups on the vetting of incoming police cadets, the HNP investigated 56 cadets and dismissed six trainees in 2016 prior to graduation based on derogatory information uncovered by Haiti’s most prominent human rights organization. Taking police conduct seriously, the HNP implemented a probationary period for first-year officers starting with the May 2016 graduating class.

							Tab 3: Supplemental Financial Report as of March 2017					

							Tab 4: Haiti Strategy