Statement by Mark C. Toner,
Deputy Spokesperson of the US State Department
on the electoral process in Haiti
Le 8 juin 2016
The United States regrets the decision by the Provisional Electoral Council to restart the presidential elections from the first round. This will increase time and resources needed to complete the 2015 electoral process and further delay installation of a constitutionally elected president. The Haitian people deserve to have their voices heard, not deferred. The United States regrets that the electoral process has extended yet again, with the president-elect unlikely to be installed before February 7th, 2017.
As noted in the June 6 Core Group statement, Haiti has an urgent need to have elected representatives at all levels of government, including at the most senior level. We look forward to the prompt seating of a democratically elected president who can work with the United States and with other partners to address the many challenges facing Haiti. The United States welcomes steps to make Haitian elections more credible and more transparent.
SANDRA HONORÉ, SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY GENERAL IN HAITI
Port-au-Prince, June 11th, 2016 - The special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General in Haiti (RSSG), Sandra Honoré, implores for all the Haitian leaders to maintain a constructive approach to insure the continuity of governance at every level and pursue the electoral process such as planned.
In this context, the RSSG expected that the Parliament will meet in National Assembly to open the second ordinary session of the legislative of the year on June 13th, as required by the Constitution.
3 FIU medical students bring healthcare mission to Haiti
BY JEFFREY PIERRE
Special to the Miami Herald
There were hundreds of people waiting outside — some since the night before, others who had walked for hours to get a good spot in line for something the average Haitian struggles to secure: a simple medical checkup.
Stevenson Chery, Yves-Dany Accilien and Samuel Jean-Baptiste, three medical school students from Florida International University, joined a team of 17 other students and medical professionals to provide physicals, dispense prescription medicine and leave behind basic instruments such as blood pressure cuffs and stethoscopes. During their trip last year to Cap-Haïtien, a city on Haiti’s northern coast, they set up a clinic in a school and saw 368 patients over two days.
For the three Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine students — Chery, Accilien and Jean-Baptiste — the medical mission was a chance to return to their home country and help. Through a nonprofit the three formed, KORE Haiti, they’re facilitating trips for medical school students and healthcare professionals to Haiti, a country where 40 percent of the population lacks access to essential healthcare and where only 45 percent of children are vaccinated, according to a January Health Fact Sheet from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
“A lot of times, nonprofits travel to Haiti and say ‘OK, this is what we’re bringing,’” said Chery, 24, a second-year medical school student. “What we found is that the most important thing is to go and talk to people and find out what they need and what they want.”
KORE returned again in April, with two groups of almost 50 students, medical professional volunteers and hired staff. They also began offering dental services for the first time, recognizing how poor oral health can impact cardiovascular conditions.
“Haiti needs a lot when it comes to healthcare,” Chery said. “Public health is a big concern. Unless the person is really sick, they’re probably not going to seek medical help.”
For Chery, his decision to become a doctor was rooted in Haitians’ lack of access to healthcare. His mother lost a baby after she was turned away at a local hospial because she didn’t have the money to pay for her care. He was about 4 years old.
“It was devastating, knowing that I could have lost my mother,’’ he says today.
The average Haitian, who lives on $1 to $2 a day, can expect to pay anywhere from $10 to $50 to be seen by a doctor in a small clinic, said Marjorie Lozama, current chair of international affairs for the Haitian American Nurses Association’s Florida chapter.
Lozama, who has traveled to Haiti as a nurse since 2005, said there is no free care available in the country.
“So the Haitians, they usually rely on their home remedies,” Lozama said. But herbal remedies — usually taken as a tea or soup— are usually ineffective against most diseases and illnesses.
“We’ve seen some people who don’t know what hypertension, diabetes or a stroke is,” Lozama said. “Yes, we can give them three to six months of medication but what about after that, after we leave?”
In its 2016 report, USAID found that government expenditures represented only 10 percent of the funding toward healthcare in Haiti, one of the poorest countries in the world.
Haiti still “reports some of the world’s worst health indicators” and the country’s infrastructure was worsened after “the 2010 earthquake, which demolished 50 health centers,” according to USAID.
The earthquake, while devastating, was only part of the problem. Ten months after the Jan. 12, 2010, quake, the first cases of cholera began appearing, soon leading to an epidemic. Studies have concluded that cholera, which spreads through contaminated food or water, was most likely introduced by U.N. peacekeepers from Nepal, where the disease is endemic.
The Zika virus, too, has also impacted Haiti. In fact, researchers at the University of Florida have theorized that the mosquito-borne virus had entered Haiti in December 2015, three months before Brazilian scientists confirmed the virus in the South American country. And the KORE team encountered a rare and contained case of leprosy last year during their trip.
The KORE team hopes to combat some of these issues by persuading medical professionals to work in the country. Attracting and retaining medical professionals is a large problem, according to the USAID report, with “as few as four health professionals per 10,000 people.’’
“The professionals who are educated in Haiti are going to the [United States], Canada or going to France. They’re just leaving Haiti in general,” said Jean-Baptiste, 24. “We are coming to the country to educate people but we also want to empower people to stay and give back.”
TWO HAITIANS ADMITTED IN THE COAST GARD ACADEMY
Last Thursday, during a ceremony organized to the Embassy of the United States, the Ambassador to Haiti, Peter F. Mulrean, in the presence of Haitian government officials, including the Minister of Justice and Law and order, Camille Edouard Junior and the Director of the National Police force of Haiti, Michel-Angel Gédéon, celebrated the admission of two young Haitians, Naissa Lindsey Pierre and Pierre Erick Wawa, to United States Coast Guard Academy Class of 2020 International Cadet Program. It is the first time that Haitians participate in this program which exists since 1971.
Ambassador Mulrean congratulated Pierre and Wawa for their dynamism and their commitment throughout the selection process. He also praised the support of the various government entities, particularly the Ministry of the Interior and Collective Regions, the Ministry of Justice and the Law and Order and the National Police Force of Haiti (PNH) for the outcome of this program.
In his speech, Ambassador Mulrean declared "Today, we celebrate the beginning of a promising journey for the future two leaders of the National police force of Haiti… We also salute the commitment of the Haitian government and the office of the Prime Minister as well as the efforts of the PNH to support Naissa and Pierre throughout their studies at the academy and in their future career in the PNH. With the continuous commitment of the American and Haitian governments, Naissa and Pierre will achieve big things with the United States Coast Guard and in the PNH."
Let us recall that the Coast Guard Academy is one of the four military academies in the United States which offers four years of training in Civil engineering, Electric Engineering, Naval Architecture and Marine engineering, Operational Research, Environmental and Marine Sciences, Government, Mechanical Engineering and Management. It is a program intensive from the first cycle resulting in a bachelor’s of sciences degree. The program, associated with military and leadership training, allows the graduates to assume roles of responsibility in the maritime service and in the government.
This program was opened to Haitians in 2014. In 2015, dozens of candidates applied for the program and Naissa Lindsey Pierre and Pierre Erick Wawa were the two candidates who demonstrated the capacities and the skills required to participate in it.
To be selected, the candidates have to undergo a series of examinations including the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), or the American College Test (ACT) and pass the Test of English has Foreign Language (TOEFL) or English Comprehension Level (ECL).
The candidates will leave Haiti very soon to begin their training in the United States. They will return to serve their country by working in the National police force of Haiti (PNH) and the Coastal Guard.
THE ON THE ALERT NATIONAL PNH
Following information from reliable government sources, the Haitian government claims to be preparing for imminent attacks by armed commando squads against schools, public buildings and gas stations, while the Ministry of Justice decided to suspend temporarily all the gun licenses on the whole Haitian territory.
"The Ministry of Justice and Law and order, notifies the public, generally, and the interested, in particular, that, according to decision of the Upper Council of the National police force (CSPN), on June 9th, 2016, all the gun licenses are temporarily suspended, on the whole of the territory.”
“Formal instructions were given to law enforcement, with the aim of the strict application of this measure."
This measure, which will be reevaluated according to the evolution of the situation, concerns everybody, all of the country’s institutions, including the security companies, with the exception of the National Police Force and the UN peacekeeping force who are authorized to circulate with firearms, specified Minister of Justice Camille Junior Edouard. He did not want to specify if this was about organized crime or about a hidden political agenda, explaining only that this was a very well organized high-level criminal organization...
At the level of the borders, the controls were reinforced following diverse information, stating an important increase of arms dealing and the PNH is on a national alert.
This decision was poorly received by the population and business owners who expressed that criminals do not seek weapon licenses to commit their crimes. On social media, this measure is also under fire by critics, and considered as insane...
THE MAX BLANCHET BLOG
Berkeley
California
6.09.2016
HAITI – Fifty-Nine Years of Hurricanes (1954-2013)
Some facts and comments:
§ During the last 59 years, Haiti was hit by 26 hurricanes, or approximately one hurricane every 2.3 years. In the last 15 years, the frequency has increased to one hurricane every 2 years.
§ 2008 has been exceptional to date in that 3 hurricanes and one tropical storm – Gustav, Hanna, Ike and Fay -- have hit the country over a period of 4 weeks from mid August until mid September. Three hurricanes have also hit Haiti in 2007. This could very well be the result of global warming, which is projected by some researchers to increase both the frequency and strength of hurricanes in that part of the world.
§ Most of the hurricanes have been of Category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson scale. A Category 3 hurricane produces maximum winds of 111-130 miles per hour and storm surges of 9-12 feet above normal sea level. See the chart below for a complete definition of the 5 categories of the Saffir-Simpson Scale. The category given for each hurricane listed on the chart below reflects its strength at its peak, which did not necessarily occur while the hurricane crossed Haiti.
§ Most hurricanes (12 out of 24) have hit the Southern Peninsula or parts of it; eleven (10) have hit the northern parts of the country and the others its center.
§ The loss of human life has amounted to 18,286 fatalities, mostly in the Caribbean and the US, with 11,667 (63.8%) occurring in Haiti alone.
§ The impact on Haiti has been particularly dramatic over the years for three reasons:
i) Rapid demographic growth resulting in the doubling of the population during that time frame, from 4.7 million to 10.4 million today. Haiti’s demographic density is 385 inhabitants per square kilometer. Corresponding figures for Cuba and the Dominican Republic are 97 and 192 respectively *).
ii) A massive migration from the countryside to the cities where 50% of the population (5.2 million) reside today. In Port-au-Prince alone the population has grown from 200,000 to 3.0 million today. This has led to the chaotic growth of urban areas with flimsy construction taking place wherever land is available -- on steep slopes, dangerously close to ravines and gullies, and on flood plains.
iii) Massive deforestation: forest coverage has decreased from approximately 50% in the 1950’s to less than 2% today.
§ All in all, these hurricanes have caused economic damages amounting to 109 billion dollars (2008 US $) mostly in the Caribbean and the United States. The figures for Haiti are not available although it is worth noting that Ike has caused damages estimated at 180 million dollars in the agricultural sector alone, according to Mr. Gué, the Minister of Agriculture.
§ It is interesting to contrast the situation in Haiti with that in Cuba where a strong central government, seconded by equally strong local governments, has managed to control the grave problems confronting Haiti: rapid demographic growth, unbridled migration to the cities and deforestation. In addition, the Cuban government has been able to move large number of people to safe locations where their basic needs (shelter, security, food and health care) were met ahead of approaching hurricanes and during their passage. For example, shortly before Ike’s landfall one fifth of Cuba’s population (2.3 million) was moved to safe areas and shelters. Even large farm animals were moved to safe areas. As a result the human fatality rate in Cuba has been only a small fraction of what it has been in Haiti.
§ Unless comprehensive, effective, muscular, and sustained measures are taken to deal with these problems and the related issue of the general inadequacy of governance in the country, we can look forward to similar calamities in the future.
§ To conclude I will tell two anecdotes regarding hurricanes in Haiti. In 1954, following the passage of Hazel in the Southwest, then President Paul Magloire sent a relief czar to Jérémie to manage the reconstruction and cleanup of the area. So enraged were the Jérémiens over his insensitivity, incompetence, and corruption that they sent a telegram to Magloire asking that he be recalled. Closer to us, in 2004, Jeanne devastated Gonaïves where at the very least 3000 people died and hundreds of thousands displaced. Unfortunately, as it happened so often in Haiti, the reconstruction and cleanup work was contracted out to private firms on the basis of zanmitaj and fanmitaj with little regard for the competence of these outfits and with the predictable result that the work was poorly or not at all executed.
Will the new government learn from these lessons and do what is right in terms of initiating the monumental task of restoring Haiti’s environment in a systematic and honest manner?