The Interim Haiti Recovery Commission has received more than USD1.6 billion worth of project proposals covering various aspects of Haiti’s reconstruction and development.
Nearly USD1 billion has been committed for projects, according to a news release from IHRC. The commission said it expects the rest of the money to come from the World Bank-managed Haiti Reconstruction Fund and from existing and future commitments by key international donors.
The 29 project proposals received by the commission involve USD200 million to generate some 50,000 jobs in the agricultural sector, USD94.2 million for a back-to-school program that will be co-financed by the Inter-American Development Bank, USD17 million to remove debris in Port-au-Prince, and USD15 million to build a new teaching hospital and medical facility for training new Haitian health professionals.
IHRC, which is led by Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive and former U.S. President Bill Clinton, is tasked to identify which reconstruction projects will be funded through the USD5.3 billion pledged by donors in March in New York.
In the commission’s board meeting Aug. 17, the Haitian government identified specific rehabilitation goals to be reached by November in the areas of housing, education, health, agriculture, debris removal and disaster preparedness. The goals include clearing up to 1 million cubic meters of earthquake rubble in Port-au-Prince and constructing storm shelters for up to 500,000 people.
In the same board meeting, IDB announced it will raise USD500 million to help overhaul Haiti’s education system. The bank said it will provide USD250 million worth of grants from its own resources and seek USD250 million from non-traditional donors.
Meanwhile, the World Bank approved the release of USD55 million to finance some of Haiti’s most urgent needs. The assistance includes a USD30 million grant from the World Bank’s International Development Association and USD25 million from the Haiti Reconstruction Fund.
