March 16, 2005 Ottawa -- Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew today announced, on behalf of International Cooperation Minister Aileen Carroll, that Canada will provide over $8 million towards stabilization and reconstruction efforts in Haiti. Minister Pettigrew also conveyed Canada's support for the electoral process in 2005 and ongoing national dialogue. "I am pleased to announce this initiative," said Minister Pettigrew. "Canada applauds the resumption of the democratic process and is encouraged by the preparations under way to ensure that elections are held in the fall of 2005 as announced by the Provisional Electoral Council. Canada has also committed $17 million to facilitate Haiti's electoral process." The funding announced today will be allocated as follows: $3.9 million to help reinforce the capacity of the Government of Haiti to ensure the leadership of the implementation of the Interim Cooperation Framework, to help strengthen the Government of Haiti's planning, implementation, follow-up and evaluation capabilities; $2.9 million to fulfil the financial requirements for Haiti's accession to membership of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB). Haiti's membership in the CDB is essential as the policy dialogue between Haiti, the Caribbean community and the donor community will guide poverty-reduction programming; >$2 million to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to support farmers in the Gonaïves region of Haiti following the devastation caused by tropical storm Jeanne in September 2004. "Canada is a key player in the international effort to rebuild Haiti and follows through on its commitments," said Minister Carroll. "Canada has demonstrated its support by disbursing close to $96 million of more than $180 million pledged in Washington at the International Donors' Conference on Haiti, last July." Minister Pettigrew is in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, from March 16 to 17 to participate in meetings with interim government officials, members of political parties and the Provisional Electoral Council. On March 18, Minister Pettigrew will travel to Cayenne, French Guiana, to take part in a ministerial meeting of the countries most involved in Haiti, including Canada, the United States and a number of Latin American countries. The funding will be provided by the Canadian International Development Agency and is part of Canada's commitment of more than $180 million over two years for Haiti's reconstruction and development efforts, including $154 million in support of the transitional government's Interim Cooperation Framework and 100 civilian police officers. Funding for this initiative was provided for in the March 2004 federal budget and is therefore built into the existing fiscal framework. - 30 - Information Andrew Graham Director of Communications Office of the Minister of International Cooperation Telephone: (819) 953-6238 Media Relations Office Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) Telephone: (819) 953-6534 E-mail: info@acdi-cida.gc.ca Web site: www.cida.gc.ca Sébastien Théberge Director of Communications Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Telephone: (613) 995-1851 Media Relations Office Foreign Affairs Canada Telephone: (613) 995-1874 http://www.international.gc.ca
