is a Brazilian-American professor of International Affairs at the Torcuato Di Tella University in Buenos Aires. She has taught at the Argentine Foreign Service Institute and the Latin American School of Social Sciences (FLACSO – Argentina) and served as a visiting professor at Stanford, the Univ...
More
What role for Latin America and Europe in Haiti?
Monica Hirst
, 11 September 2010
Executive summary
On 14 and 15 June 2010 in Buenos Aires, a seminar jointly organised by the Norwegian Peacebuilding Centre (Noref) and the Argentinian University Torcuato Di Tella (UTDT) brought together practitioners, academics and government officials from Latin America and Europe. Frank and open discussions addressed Latin America’s engagement in Haiti, both with regard to the role of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (Minustah) and the priorities arising from the post-January 2010 reconstruction.
The political challenges posed by the Haitian reconstruction and the complexities of US/UN involvement in Haiti were debated, with the views of Haitians, Latin Americans and Europeans sometimes concurring and at others diverging. The exchanges reflected both the different political implications at play for each region and different experiences in dealing with Haiti’s development challenges. Participants concluded that there is a role to be played by both European and Latin American assistance in the Haitian reconstruction effort and it should be expanded over the next few years. Particular attention was also given to issues affecting agriculture and food security.
In addition to its military and police presence in Minustah, the political contribution that can be made by Latin America countries – especially those with sustainable development trajectories and committed to south-south cooperation – could be of strategic importance for Haiti. The Bolivarian alliance for the peoples of our America (ALBA), the Union of South American Nations (Unasur) and the Caribbean Community (Caricom), motivated by solidarity, respect for national ownership and political commonalities, can collectively strengthen the region’s commitment to Haiti.
Haitians have generally taken a pragmatic approach to the international community as long as national and state interests are respected by international aid institutions. This has meant putting a stop to past practices of conditionality and onerous and often unrealistic procedures that contributed to keeping Haiti underdeveloped and institutionally weak. In the short term, the Interim Haiti Reconstruction Commission (IHRC) should act swiftly and coherently for the duration of its mandate, not wasting time on procedures but focusing on realistic and measurable targets.
