Zoellick Warns Haiti Donors Of Long Haul |
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January 19, 2010
International donors need to start preparing for the long-term challenge of reconstructing Haiti even as they ramp up near-term emergency relief, Bob Zoellick, president of the World Bank, has told the Financial Times.
International donors need to start preparing for the long-term challenge of reconstructing Haiti even as they ramp up near-term emergency relief, Bob Zoellick, president of the World Bank, has told the Financial Times.
In an interview, Mr Zoellick said it was essential to ensure that “when the cameras leave, the donors do not leave with them”.
Haiti had some of the “worst human development indicators in the world” even before the crisis and he said there was a chance to rebuild the country in a way that put it on a path to development.
“The goal would be grasping the opportunity to build back better,” the World Bank president said in an interview. Experience in Afghanistan and in Aceh, Indonesia, after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami highlighted the critical importance of donors being willing to pool long-term resources and support the host government rather than go it alone with flag-waving projects.
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