The European Union and aid organizations in the United States are expected to pledge an estimated USD2.7 billion for recovery and development efforts in quake-ravaged Haiti when they meet at a donors’ conference at the United Nations headquarters on March 31, Reuters reports.
Kristalina Georgieva, EU commissioner for international cooperation, humanitarian aid and crisis response, said the bloc may commit to providing 1.3 billion euros (USD 1.73 billion) for the next three years to assist in the Haiti rebuilding effort, touted to be a bigger challenge than reconstruction efforts in coastal countries after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
Some 193 U.S.-based humanitarian organizations also vowed to pledge some USD464 million for Haiti’s reconstruction and USD421 million more for the long-term provision of relief.