Inter-American Development Bank

Governments and institutions have come forward with offers of financial aid to Haiti. European Union institutions and member states have offered more than 400 million euros (USD575.6 million) in emergency and longer-term assistance. The Inter-American Development Bank was proposing an assistance program for Haiti that would include forgiveness of USD480 million in debt and provision of USD444 million in grants and loans, said the IADB representative in Santo Domingo, Manuel Labrado. Meanwhile, French Economy Minister Christine Lagarde has called on Taiwan and Venezuela, two major creditors of Haiti which are not members of the Paris Club, to help in the debt relief effort.