Former U.S. President Bill Clinton has been selected as United Nations special envoy to Haiti, bringing his considerable repute to an often overlooked crisis.
Haiti, the Western Hemisphere's poorest nation, is struggling to recover from last year's food crisis and devastating tropical storms that left hundreds dead.
"I've been following this country for more than three decades," Clinton told the Miami Herald. "I fell in love with it 35 years ago when Hillary and I came here."
Clinton is well-regarded in Haiti after dispatching the U.S. military in 1994 to return elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who had been deposed in a coup. However, the U.N.'s peacekeepers he now represents have been widely criticized as an unwanted occupation force.
In March, Clinton toured the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince with U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon. His wife, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, visited in April and spoke at a recent a donor conference in Washington, which resulted in pledges of $324 million for the struggling country.
"The message I want to send to the rest of the world is what … the factory owner told me today. These people work hard and they work smart. … Tell the world Haiti is a good place to invest." Clinton said.
Driving investment toward Haiti was undoubtedly a key factor in Clinton's selection. With unemployment near 70 percent, much can be gained from such a high-profile champion of Haitian investment and development.
The former president's foundation works in Haiti on a number of issues including health care, AIDS, the environment and economic development.
