Top donors to Haiti

In just around 35 seconds, the magnitude-7.0 earthquake that hit Haiti in January 2010 left thousands dead and ravaged already-shoddy infrastructure, causing massive destruction in one of the world’s poorest countries. Donors have been quick to respond to the huge humanitarian crisis that unfolded. The march of nongovernmental organizations to Haiti is just one indication of the aid rush to the Caribbean state. Recently, the emphasis has been on dealing with Haiti’s more long-term development challenges — a struggling agriculture sector, for example — but hurdles to addressing the issues that were exacerbated by the earthquake, such as the continued lack of decent housing for many Haitians, remain. Despite all this, Haiti has made considerable progress in the Millennium Development Goals, particularly in the areas of education and health. During a visit to Germany last October — the first official visit by a Haitian president to Germany since 1993 — Haiti President Michel Martelly remarked to German weekly Der Spiegel that there is a need to strengthen Haiti’s institutions — a self-aware assessment of the tendency of donors to work with NGOs in Haiti as well as the extent of the work that still needs to be done. This worthwhile effort will likely still involve donor support, particularly in the area of governance. Below, we take a look at how much Haiti's donors plan to spend on the country, five years after the earthquake. Canada — historically Haiti’s second-largest donor, spending 205 million Canadian dollars ($170.8 million) on the Caribbean state in 2012 — is not included in the list below because it hasn’t published a 2015 spending plan for Haiti. While its aid to Haiti has not been halted, Canada has been reviewing its assistance to the country. United States ($274.3 million) The U.S. Agency for International Development has been working in several sectors — energy, environment and education, for example — in Haiti. But one of its most prominent programs in the country is Feed the Future, through which the U.S. government helps Haitians attain food security by teaching local farmers useful skills and introducing them to new technologies. USAID has extensive experience in nutrition projects in Haiti. Inter-American Development Bank ($223.3 million) Two months after the earthquake hit Haiti, the Inter-American Development Bank’s board of governors canceled Haiti’s outstanding debts, which totaled $484 million. For the past five years, IDB projects worth $526.8 million have been focused on transport and education. While housing is not listed as a priority sector in IDB’s country strategy for Haiti, bank involvement in the Caracol housing project is significant, but also controversial. European Union ($35.2 million) The EU aims to better link relief, rehabilitation and development in its assistance to Haiti. Under the 10th European Development Fund, EU aid to Haiti focused on road infrastructure, modernization of public administration and decentralization processes, and general budget support. The EU also cofinances projects with NGOs in Haiti. France ($25.7 million) The French Development Agency continues to work on post-earthquake reconstruction in Haiti. Among these efforts is an urban development project in the neighborhoods of Martissant and Baillergeau, which were home to some of the most affected populations during the earthquake. Education, urban management, agriculture, microfinance, health and cofinancing with NGOs are also among the French aid agency’s priorities in the country. World Bank ($24 million) World Bank commitments to Haiti hit a peak in 2013, at $235 million. Currently, the World Bank has nearly $750 million worth of active projects — approved from as early as June 2008 to October last year — in Haiti. The three largest projects involve revamping Haiti’s energy infrastructure, improving maternal and child health and rebuilding the education system. Switzerland ($9.9 million) Swiss aid to Haiti has been concentrated in promoting the rule of law, increasing food security, and upgrading the country’s capacity for disaster risk reduction. Switzerland’s development cooperation strategy for Haiti for 2014-2017 involves fixing the Caribbean country’s damaged school infrastructure as well. Aid effectiveness is also a priority for Switzerland, which pushes for better coordination among donors. Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance ($9.3 million) Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance has disbursed $9.1 million to Haiti from 2001 to 2014. Of this amount, 64 percent was channeled to vaccine support, mainly pentavalent vaccines, which offer protection against five diseases: diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B and Haemophilus influenza type B. The rest of the funding has largely gone to health systems strengthening and immunization services support. Germany ($9 million) Germany contributes to Haiti’s recovery by supporting the democratization process through both bilateral funding and multilateral mechanisms like the European Development Fund. Agriculture, disaster preparedness, energy supply, HIV and AIDS prevention and resource conservation are also priority areas in Germany’s development cooperation with Haiti. U.N. Development Program ($5 million) Last year, the U.N. Development Program confirmed Haiti’s progress in achieving several targets under the MDGs. UNDP support for the smooth transition from emergency response to long-term development in Haiti may have contributed to this accomplishment. Disaster risk reduction, environmental production and good governance are the core areas of its work in Haiti. Caribbean Development Bank ($4 million) The Caribbean Development Bank announced last year that it would provide $2.5 million to cover the disaster insurance premium for Port-au-Prince. The bank gave Haiti similar disaster assistance in 2013, when it helped the country pay for the annual premium to the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility, the world’s first multicountry risk pool that also helps Caribbean countries boost their capacity for disaster risk management and climate change adaptation. Check out more practical business and development advice online, and subscribe to Money Matters to receive the latest contract award and shortlist announcements, and procurement and fundraising news.