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Insights from Acting Administrator Alonzo Fulgham
FrontLines - September 2009
Last month, I had the privilege of traveling to Haiti to witness first-hand USAID’s commitment to the Haitian people and to underscore the United States’ support for country-led plans to promote stability, implement democratic reforms, build public institutions, and provide access to services for its citizens.
In partnership with Haiti’s democratically elected government,
we are helping that country address its food needs, restore its depleted environment, and better respond to the natural disasters which have hit the island and left a legacy of devastation that is still visible in many regions of the country.
In addition, we are working to increase job opportunities for the Haitian people and to encourage both local and foreign direct investment.
Addressing an international congress of the Haitian diaspora in Miami just prior to my departure for Port-au-Prince, I emphasized the historic opportunity before us.
“The stars are aligned,” I proclaimed, speaking to Haitians and Haitian-Americans from New Jersey to New York to Florida. Here at home, we have a president, a secretary of state, an acting USAID administrator, and a Congress unreservedly committed to Haiti’s long-term development. And we are seeing that commitment on the global stage as well, with the appointment of former President Bill Clinton as the U.N. special envoy to Haiti.
The Haitian diaspora has an important role to play. Few countries have developed without the active involvement of their diasporas. And the Haitian diaspora is particularly critical—not only as a source of remittances and foreign direct investment, but also as a reservoir of talent and transferable know-how, and a compelling political voice.
For that reason, I was pleased to announce USAID’s launch of the Haitian Diaspora Marketplace program, an initiative that will provide $2 million to support investments by members of the Haitian diaspora in small and medium enterprises in Haiti.
The goals of this program are to spur economic growth, create sustainable jobs, and support productive investments in the Haitian economy. The Diaspora Marketplace is being implemented in partnership with one of Haiti’s leading banks, and is designed so that members of the diaspora can find investment opportunities in manufacturing, tourism, agriculture, construction, information technology, and other areas.
Improving Haiti’s investment climate is essential to job creation. With former President Clinton’s announcement of an October trade and investment mission to Haiti, I encouraged our counterparts to use this date as a target for the passage of key legislation and regulations in the areas of land reform, customs, agriculture, and energy.
As a Peace Corps Volunteer stationed in Port-au-Prince during the early 1980s, I remember a time when virtually all of the world’s footballs, baseballs, and baseball gloves were manufactured in Haiti. Since then, the people of Haiti have seen decades of civil war, unrest, natural disasters, and most recently, a devastating spike in food prices.
It is my firm belief, however, that change and opportunity are on the horizon. Thanks to the leadership of the current Haitian government, the indomitable will of the Haitian people, the generous spirit of the Haitian diaspora, and the cooperation of the international donor community—including USAID—Haiti now stands stronger.
★
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