401M$ Needed To Reduce The Extreme Vulnerability In Haiti

Haiti - Humanitarian : $401M needed to reduce the extreme vulnerability in Haiti
(Haiti Libre) - 12/03/2015 14:29:57

Wednesday in Port-au-Prince, the Haitian Government, the United Nations and its Partners launched a Transitional Appeal, called the TAP, seeking US $ 401 million for the period 2015/2016 in order to reduce extreme vulnerability, while building resilience in Haiti.

Replacing the annual humanitarian appeals, the TAP lasts two years and aims to mobilise resources of a humanitarian, transitional and development-oriented nature to smooth the transition process and ensure continuity of assistance for the most vulnerable individuals and communities.

The TAP is a support strategy and an integrated planning process that addresses the post-seismic lessons of humanitarian coordination and is necessarily in-line with Haiti’s national priorities.

As a transitional tool, the TAP meets both acute and urgent needs (such as those related to internal displacement, the cholera epidemic, food insecurity and malnutrition, natural hazards and disasters), while addressing issues of chronic deprivation issues and structural deficiencies in Haiti - to strengthen the country’s capacity to recover.

The TAP acts as a bridge between planning cycles, different programme implementation modalities (from service delivery to capacity development using national budgets and systems) and forms a framework for uniting the humanitarian and development communities with a common objective of resilience building and vulnerability reduction.

The Minister of Planning and External Cooperation, Yves Germain Joseph, said at the joint-launch that "the TAP is an inclusive and consultative process, the result of an ongoing collaboration initiated in October 2014 between national and international partners."

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations in Haiti, Sandra Honoré, said that "The expected results of the TAP directly target people and vulnerable communities, without forgetting the necessary capacity-building of public institutions." Another fundamental aspect of building resilience and development in Haiti "is reliant on stabilization and peace" said Madam Honoré – adding that "nothing can really be achieved without stability and without strengthening rule of law and democracy."

The Humanitarian Coordinator and UN Resident Coordinator in Haiti, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations in Haiti (DSRSG), Peter de Clercq stressed that "the TAP is an ongoing process. It is a platform for transition which will be revised and adapted during its implementation. This is a dynamic process with a view to creating the foundations of sustainable development in Haiti over the next two years. "

The inetrnational TAP launch will be held in Geneva on Friday, 13 March - with the presentation of the Appeal by Peter de Clercq and Partners, including South-South Cooperation and the diplomatic corps. Mr de Clercq will also present the TAP to international donors in Brussels, The Hague, London and Oslo in order to advocate for the necessary financing of the TAP process.

Speakers at the launch of the TAP in Haiti included Vincent Le Pape, Head of Development Cooperation at the Embassy of Canada; Markus Handke, Chief of the Economic and Good Governance section of the European Union Delegation - and Émilie Bernard, from ACTED, who represented the NGO community in Haiti.