7-13-2004
Haiti needs $1.37 billion to survive

Washington, DC, Jul. 13 (UPI) -- Haiti needs an estimated $1.37 billion to fulfill economic, political and social needs over the next two years, an international assessment indicates.

The interim government of Haiti, the European Commission, the Inter-American Development Bank, the United Nations and the World Bank created the assessment, called the Interim Cooperation Framework. This was done in preparation for the International Donors Conference on Haiti to be held at the World Bank in Washington July 19-20.

The poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti has existing financing of $440 million for the ICF, leaving a gap of $924 million to be filled.

Immediate priorities for next two months outlined by the interim government include the creation of 31,000 jobs, the collection and disposal of 50 percent of garbage in urban areas and the upgrading of 500 slum dwellings in Port-au-Prince.

Long-term goals include improving nutrition for 440,000 children and immunizing 80 percent of children under the age of one.

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