Andris Piebalgs will be arriving in Haiti on Tuesday (March 6). What will he do in the earthquake-hit nation?
Apart from meeting Haitian President Michel Martelly, the EU development commissioner will be announcing an aid package worth €100 million ($132 million) for the provision of basic services in the country. The assistance also aims to improve the country’s infrastructure and support the government’s capacity-building efforts.
During his two-day visit, Piebalgs will inaugurate the judicial court, a primary school and a pedagogical center, which offers training for teachers. He will also inaugurate the road section between Mirebalais and Hinche, part of the new road between the capital, Port-au-Prince, and Cap Haïtien. The road will help reduce the eight-hour journey between the two cities to three hours.
The European Union is one of the biggest contributors to the earthquake relief in Haiti. In the aftermath of the quake in 2010, it made a single pledge of €1.2 billion to Haiti. The European Commission, one of the main institutions of the European Union, has already fulfilled 75 percent of its €522 million pledge.
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About the author
Jenny Lei Ravelo@JennyLeiRavelo
Jenny Lei Ravelo is a Devex Senior Reporter based in Manila. She covers global health, with a particular focus on the World Health Organization, and other development and humanitarian aid trends in Asia Pacific. Prior to Devex, she wrote for ABS-CBN, one of the largest broadcasting networks in the Philippines, and was a copy editor for various international scientific journals. She received her journalism degree from the University of Santo Tomas.
