III 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 12 

Recognizing the third anniversary of the tragic earthquake in Haiti on January 12, 2010, honoring those who lost their lives in that earthquake, 

and expressing continued solidarity with the people of Haiti. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JANUARY 24 (legislative day, JANUARY 3), 2013 

Mr. NELSON (for himself, Mrs. GILLIBRAND, Mr. LAUTENBERG, Mr. CARDIN, 

Mr. DURBIN, Ms. WARREN, Ms. LANDRIEU, and Mr. HARKIN) submitted 

the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 

Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the third anniversary of the tragic earthquake 

in Haiti on January 12, 2010, honoring those who lost 

their lives in that earthquake, and expressing continued 

solidarity with the people of Haiti. 

Whereas, on January 12, 2010, an earthquake measuring 7.0 

on the Richter scale struck the country of Haiti, followed 

by 59 aftershocks measuring 4.5 or greater; 

Whereas more than 220,000 people died as a result of the 

earthquake, more than 300,000 people were injured, and 

more than 3,000,000 people were directly affected by the 

disaster; 


smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with 
2 

•SRES 12 IS 

Whereas the total cost in terms of human lives, infrastructure 

damage, and economic losses makes the earthquake one 

of the worst urban disasters in modern history; 

Whereas President Barack Obama vowed the ‘‘unwavering 

support’’ of the United States Government and pledged 

a ‘‘swift, coordinated, and aggressive effort to save lives 

and support the recovery in Haiti’’; 

Whereas the initial emergency response of the men and 

women of the United States Government, led by the 

United States Agency for International Development and 

United States Southern Command, was swift and resolute; 

Whereas the Haitian diaspora, other individuals, businesses, 

and philanthropic organizations throughout the United 

States and the international community overwhelmingly 

responded to the crisis by sending emergency relief supplies and significant financial contributions; 

Whereas the Senate passed 3 successive resolutions expressing its profound sympathy and unwavering support for 

the people of Haiti and urging all nations to assist the 

people of Haiti with their long-term needs; 

Whereas, 3 years later, significant challenges still remain in 

Haiti as it works to recover and rebuild; 

Whereas, according to the International Organization for Migration, approximately 360,000 people remain in spontaneous and organized camps in Haiti and hundreds of 

thousands of poor people in Haiti continue to live in nonpermanent housing, conditions that make them vulnerable to future natural disasters; 

Whereas, according to an independent panel investigation by 

the United Nations, on October 19, 2010, an imported 


smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with 
3 

•SRES 12 IS 

strain of cholera was detected in the Lower Artibonite region of Haiti; 

Whereas, according to the Haitian Ministry of Public Health 

and Population, as of December 31, 2012, more than 

7,900 people in Haiti have died from cholera and more 

than 635,000 have been infected with the disease since 

the earthquake on January 12, 2010; 

Whereas the United Nations Secretary-General announced a 

plan to eliminate cholera from the island of Hispaniola 

through enhanced treatment and prevention efforts and 

through the development of clean water and sanitation 

infrastructure that is accessible to all people in Haiti; 

Whereas gender-based violence against women and girls in 

Haiti continues to be a chronic problem, and judicial barriers that have prevented victims from finding redress remain a significant issue of concern; 

Whereas, in 2012 alone, Haiti faced a long drought period 

and 2 major tropical storms that destroyed 70 percent of 

agricultural crops in Haiti, impacting the lives of millions 

of people in Haiti facing food insecurity and further crippling the economy of Haiti; 

Whereas the sustained assistance to Haiti from the United 

States and the international community bolsters the efforts of the Government of Haiti to confront these challenges; and 

Whereas, since the earthquake on January 12, 2010, the people of Haiti have demonstrated unwavering resilience, 

dignity, and courage: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 


smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with 
4 

•SRES 12 IS 

1 (1) mourns the loss of lives as a result of the 

2 tragic earthquake in Haiti on January 12, 2010, 

3 and the subsequent cholera epidemic; 

4 (2) honors the sacrifice made by the men and 

5 women of the Government of Haiti, civil society, the 

6 United States Government, the United Nations, and 

7 the international community in their response to 

8 those affected by the calamity; 

9 (3) reaffirms its solidarity with the Government 

10 and people of Haiti as they work to rebuild their 

11 country and livelihoods; 

12 (4) supports the long-term reconstruction ef13 forts of the United States Government to improve 

14 housing, energy, job creation, food security, health 

15 care, education, governance, and rule of law in Haiti 

16 in full cooperation with the Government of Haiti and 

17 civil society, and with the support of the private sec18 tor; 

19 (5) urges the President and the international 

20 community to continue— 

21 (A) to focus assistance on increasing the 

22 capacity of the public sector of Haiti to 

23 sustainably provide services to the people of 

24 Haiti; 


smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with 
5 

•SRES 12 IS 

1 (B) to develop, improve, and increase com2 munication and participation to more substan3 tially involve civil society in Haiti and the Hai4 tian diaspora at all stages of the post-earth5 quake response; 

6 (C) to provide programs that protect and 

7 involve vulnerable populations, including inter8 nally displaced persons, children, women and 

9 girls, and persons with disabilities; and 

10 (D) to work to enhance the ability of the 

11 Government of Haiti, at all stages of the demo12 cratic process, to improve economic develop13 ment, attract private sector investment, pursue 

14 judicial reform, enhance the rule of law, reduce 

15 incidences of gender-based violence, improve 

16 water and sanitation systems, develop a civil 

17 registry, and reform land tenure policies; 

18 (6) welcomes evidence of progress in building a 

19 better future for Haiti, including— 

20 (A) significant improvements in agricul21 tural yields via the Feed the Future initiative; 

22 (B) the opening of the Caracol Industrial 

23 Park in northern Haiti, which is projected to 

24 create approximately 20,000 jobs by 2016; 


smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with 
6 

•SRES 12 IS 

1 (C) programs to support economic oppor2 tunities for women and survivors of sexual vio3 lence through microcredit, short term jobs pro4 grams and leadership training, health services, 

5 and reintegration and repatriation assistance to 

6 Haitian migrants; 

7 (D) the reduction of the cholera mortality 

8 rate to lower than one percent, and the provi9 sion of sophisticated HIV and AIDS prevention 

10 and treatment services; and 

11 (E) the recruitment, training, and provi12 sioning of new officers for the Haitian National 

13 Police; and 

14 (7) urges the President— 

15 (A) to continue reconstruction and develop16 ment efforts, closely coordinated with the Gov17 ernment of Haiti, the Haitian diaspora, and 

18 international actors who share in the goal of a 

19 better future for Haiti; 

20 (B) to ensure close monitoring of the im21 plementation of aid programs funded by the 

22 United States Government; and 

23 (C) to work with the Government of Haiti 

24 and private landowners to prevent the forced 

25 eviction of internally displaced people and comVerDate Mar 15 2010 03:46 Jan 25, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR12.IS SR12

smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with 
7 

•SRES 12 IS 

1 munities and to provide sustainable and safe 

2 housing solutions for the most vulnerable people 

3 in Haiti. 

Æ 


smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with