December 14, 2021
The World Bank’s Caribbean Country Director Lilia Burunciuc recently concluded a five-day visit to Haiti. She was accompanied by Robert Taliercio, Regional Director of the Equitable Growth, Finance and Institutions (EFI) section and members of the team working in Haiti, including the COO, Laurent Msellati. During her first visit to Haiti, Ms. Burunciuc met with Prime Minister Dr Ariel Henry and members of the government, members of civil society organizations, other international development partners, representatives of the private sector and ‘other stakeholders.
The World Bank is committed to continuing to strongly support the country while sharing its concerns about the significant socio-economic impact of multiple crises, including protracted socio-political tensions, the deteriorating security situation and the COVID pandemic.
“Haiti faces deep governance, structural and environmental challenges that are not easy to resolve, but during the visit I found many reasons to be optimistic about future progress,” said Lilia Burunciuc. , World Bank Country Director for the Caribbean . “I assured the country’s leaders of the World Bank’s continued commitment to successfully implement projects for the reconstruction and resilience of Haiti, including the region affected by the recent earthquake. “
After the earthquake of August 14, the World Bank is mobilizing US $ 200 million to meet the challenges of food security and support the recovery and reconstruction program of the government of Haiti. An additional $ 98 million has been committed from the World Bank’s existing project portfolio, through reallocation of funds and modification of ongoing contracts, to support emergency repairs to shelters, roads, water supply systems, emergency health and social services, as well as to finance cash transfers to the most vulnerable.
As part of the immediate response to the earthquake, the World Bank is funding the construction of a temporary bridge over the Grand’Anse river to replace the Dumarsais Estimé bridge which was severely damaged by the earthquake. This bridge will reconnect the population of the Grand’Anse department to the rest of the country. At the request of the Haitian government, the World Bank also worked with other development partners to produce a post-disaster needs assessment to assess the extent of the damage and chart the course for recovery.
This visit was also an opportunity for World Bank officials to dialogue with various stakeholders on the constraints related to the socio-economic development of the country and to discuss promising sectors and opportunities for Haiti’s economic growth and progress. .