José Miguel Insulza, the Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), yesterday took part in a Ministerial meeting of the "Friends of Haiti" Group chaired by the President of the Caribbean country, Michel Martelly, and former US President Bill Clinton, which was held in New York in the framework of the 66th UN General Assembly.

Secretary General Insulza mentioned in his speech what he considers three key aspects of the work being carried out by the International community in support of the reconstruction and democratic strengthening processes in Haiti.

First, he highlighted the importance of following the agenda set up by President Martelly, which focuses on four priorities: creating a favorable climate for investments, creating infrastructure, relaunching the education system and supporting house reconstruction. On these points the OAS Secretary General stressed that, even though international financial aid has been collected, it has not been followed by the expected amount of foreign private investment, a key factor in a country seeking economic revival.

Second, the head of the OAS expressed the need to consolidate State institutions, and highlighted the value in terms of the international image of President Martelly accompanied by members of the Haitian Congress. In that sense, he said, it is "highly positive" that the Lower Chamber confirmed the designee proposed by President Martelly to the post of Prime Minister, Garry Conille, and emphasized the importance for Haiti of "showing a face of unity to the world".

Third, Secretary General Insulza insisted on the need of coordination for international help around the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission (IHRCC) and the Presidential Consultative Council for Economic Development and Investment https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-3766-haiti-economy-launch-of-the-presidential-consultative-council.html created by President Martelly within his Government to speed up all related processes.

Secretary General Insulza attended the meeting accompanied by OAS Assistant Secretary General Albert Ramdin. Also in attendance were the head of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), Mariano Fernández; the President of the Inter-American Development Bank, Alberto Moreno; and several Foreign Ministers from cooperating countries.

S/ HaitiLibre