U.N. Names Former President Bill Clinton as Special Envoy to Haiti
Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, and is in dire need of help after being devastated by four storms in 2008. Haiti had to face another crisis this year with increased food costs, which led to riots. Prime Minister Michele Duvivier Pierre-Louis, who was elected in July 2008, has said the country was on the right track and was seeing growth when the storms hit. The United Nations, in recognition of the increased need for attention to Haiti, named former President Bill Clinton as special envoy to Haiti in May of this year.
Haiti’s President René Garcia Préval and Prime Minister Pierre-Louis would like to see a two-year economic recovery plan. This plan would target four critical areas: significant infrastructure improvements, disaster recovery from previous hurricanes, enhanced security, and an improved agricultural base.
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“Now is the time to help Haiti because inaction would lead to significantly greater human suffering,” said U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in April. The United States is providing $287 million in non-emergency assistance this year, Clinton said in a speech at a Haiti donors’ conference April 14 at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in Washington, according to America.gov.
Haiti is at the forefront of former President Clinton’s agenda. He has been passionate about the Western Hemisphere and Haiti since his first visit in 1974. In accepting the post, Clinton said his focus would be on helping the Haitian government implement its own recovery programs with international assistance.
Food For The Poor, the largest international relief and development organization in the nation, does much more than feed millions of the hungry poor in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. Since 1982, we have provided clean water, medicines, educational materials, homes, support for orphans and the aged, skills training and emergency relief, with more than 97 percent of all donations in 2008 going toward programs that help the poor. For more information visit www.foodforthepoor.org.
