Conference on Haiti, 23 February 2011

Conference on Haiti, One Year After the Earthquake – “Perspectives on international humanitarian response to natural disasters and on the role of governance in reconstruction and development”

The Government of Canada, the European Union and Egmont Royal Institute for International Relations, in association with the Haitian Embassy and Mission to the EU, organised a conference on Haiti on 23 February in Brussels. The conference brought together Haitian and international stakeholders from government and civil society to exchange views on helping the Haitian people ensure their country's future and on reinforcing the European and international humanitarian response to natural disasters. There was a general consensus that the emergency response to the earthquake was quick and effective to save lives and to address the immediate need.

The civil protection and military provided a significant contribution but there is still room for improvement. The cluster system should further examined particularly to improve leadership and to link it with local coordination mechanisms. When asked to identify top priorities to improve the situation in Haiti, the members of the panel indicated to: invest adequate resources in local capacity, in preparedness and disaster risk reduction, address the democratic deficit, develop civil protection local structures, create jobs opportunities, improve coordination among donors and review the cluster system; and standardization of emergency aid for rapid deployment.