US$50 million promised before the second anniversary of the earthquake
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, January 12, 2012 - Eighteen months after its creation, the Haiti Reconstruction Fund (HRF) continues to receive additional contributions to help finance the country’s post-earthquake reconstruction. The latest contributions received amount to US$50 million and bring the total raised from the 19 donors to US$392 million.
Of this amount, US$274 million has been allocated for 17 reconstruction projects in accordance with priorities established by the Haitian government. These projects have helped to relocate people from camps back to their homes, remove 171,810 cubic meters of debris from the streets and public areas, create jobs for more than 3,300 people, close the government's budget deficit for 2010, and finance underfunded activities related to sustainable development.
According to the HRF Manager Josef Leitmann, "these generous additional contributions indicate a renewed confidence in the reconstruction of Haiti by the international community." In the last three months of 2011, four donors have signed additional contribution agreements.
France has pledged a further € 17 million (equivalent to US$21.9 million), Norway NOK 74 million (US$12.4 million), the United States US$5 million, and Finland € 0.7 million (equivalent to US$0.9 million).
"The desire of France is that these funds be used to cover the budget of the Republic of Haiti," said Yves Malpel, Director of the French Development Agency in Haiti.
The HRF also received in December 2011 a second installment of US$7 million from Spain, bringing the total Spanish contribution to US$20 million. Spain has expressed the same preference as France.
"Finland is very committed to the reconstruction of Haiti based on the priorities of the Haitian government and is satisfied with the good performance of the Fund," said Heidi Hautala, the country’s Minister of International Development. Overall, the HRF remains committed to working with the Haitian government to mobilize resources for reconstruction and allocate them efficiently.
About the HRF
The HRF is a partnership between the international community and the Government of Haiti to help finance post-earthquake reconstruction. The HRF mobilizes, coordinates and allocates contributions from bilateral and other donors to finance high-priority projects, programs and budget support. Nearly 20 percent of all reconstruction finance mobilized for Haiti in 2010 and 2011 has been channeled through the HRF, which is the largest source of unprogrammed funding for reconstruction.
The Haiti Reconstruction Fund, as a long-term partner for Haiti’s rebuilding, is a low-cost, efficient mechanism for financing reconstruction, where less than 4 percent of committed resources are being used to cover administrative and management costs. The HRF can approve fast-track financing for small projects of up to US$1 million in one week and larger amounts in as little as two weeks after receiving a request from the IHRC. The HRF has a planned lifespan of at least seven years and will continue to support the reconstruction through December 2017.
For more information, please visit http://www.haitireconstructionfund.org/hrf/ or contact:
Ms. Berdine Edmond
Communications Officer
Telephone: +509-3701-1218
E-mail: bedmond@worldbank.org