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Clinton will work to bring investments to impoverished Haiti

Posted by CaribShout on August 9, 2009 at 3:33pm
As former President Bill Clinton prepares to lead a trade mission to Haiti in hopes of spurring badly needed foreign investments, the United Nation's special envoy to the Caribbean nation called on Haitian Americans to get involved in their homeland's future saying the community is vital to the success to Haiti's success. At the same time, Clinton, who plans to take his third trip to Haiti this year in October, urged those fighting for Temporary Protected Status on behalf of an estimate 30,000 undocumented Haitians to keep the pressure on but do so in a respectful way. ``Do not do it in a hostile way because this is a complicated thing,'' Clinton said, reminding the audience that he's been where President Barack Obama currently is as he weighs requests to halt the deportation of Haitians to their storm-ravaged homeland. ``I'm sorry it's taking so long but I have to defend the White House because I've been there. I know what's happening.'' Clinton's remarks were his first public address to the Haitian diaspora in his new role as UN Special Envoy for Haiti, and came at the end of a four-day conference among Haitians and Haitian-American professionals and leaders searching for ways to help Haiti get back on its feet following last year's food riots, a five-month political crisis and back-to-back storms. Held at the Trump International Beach Resort in Sunny Isles Beach, the second annual ``Haitian Diaspora Unity Congress'' brought former and past government officials, potential presidential candidates, as well as business leaders and elected officials from outside Haiti. Session topics ranged from restoring forests to luring foreign investors. The event attracted a crowd of about 300 people from around the United States and Haiti, who packed a meeting room on Sunday to hear Clinton and Haiti's Prime Minister Michele Pierre-Louis speak. Outside a small group of Haitians protested the event. While Pierre-Louis called on Haitians to be more united, Clinton told them now is not the time to become discouraged. There is a momentum in and out of Haiti, he said. ``The more involved you are, the better the odds get, so do not be deterred,'' Clinton said. If you are doing something now, try to do more of it.'' He said that he plans to establish an advisory committee of Haitians in the diaspora. ``Haiti needs you now, and Haiti can take your help now.'' In other news, Clinton announced the following: • The Soros Economic Development Fund has launched the Haiti Invest project, which has received an initial commitment of up to $25 million. Investments in agriculture, tourism, energy, and housing are all under consideration. • James Lee Witt, a former director of the Federal Emergency Management Administration, has committed $250,000 to provide disaster preparedness training for women in Haiti. He and Clinton traveled to Haiti together in July. • Desh Deshpande, a member of the Clinton Global Initiative, has offered to share technical assistance to expand school feeding in Haiti. He, too, traveled with Clinton to Haiti recently. Rolando Gonzalez Bunster, head of a power company, has offered to install an initial five windmills to Haiti. Unassembled in the neighboring Dominican Republic, the new windmills stand to provide renewable energy at competitive rates. Clinton also reiterated his request that non-governmental organizations, or NGOs, in Haiti need better coordination. With 10,000 NGOs operating in Haiti, the Caribbean nation has the second highest per capita of NGOs, with India first, he said. Audience members welcomed Clinton's views, but added that the diaspora must do its own part to help build Haiti. ``I think [Clinton's speech] was genuine,'' said Gepsie Metellus, executive director of Sant La, a Haitian community center in Miami. ``But I don't think we should put all our eggs in the Clinton basket. I think it's time we stepped up.'' Some people were critical that the conference was too elitist and excluded everyday Haitians here and at home, partly because of its $250 admission fee. Dark suits were in abundance. Others used the conference as a platform to stress the need for dual nationality, a topic that was debated in sessions and in the hotel hallways. ``Haitians who have become naturalized citizens of other countries encourage elected officials in Haiti to vote an amendment to the constitution to ensure that Haitians have dual citizenship,'' said Lionel Jean-Baptist, a Haitian-American elected official from Chicago. ``We should enjoy all of the rights any Haitian has in the country and our children should also wherever they may have been born.'' Though Clinton's trip to South Florida came only a few days after he helped free a pair of jailed journalists in North Korea, he did not speak about the surprise visit, nor did he take questions.

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