Mar
1
Initial Follow up to Sunday’s conference call on Creating a Sustainable Future for Haiti
An immediate thank you to all those who were on the conference call on Sunday evening.
The comments were pertinent, helpful, and insightful. Participants represented more than 30 groups and viewpoints (see list here), and we’ll be following up as appropriate with individuals regarding their specific interests and suggestions. Here are some key points:
- We have posted the call recording here, and will suggest an action plan and ways to work together and stay in touch. If you were not able to join, listening to the recording is a way to get connected to a broad range of initiatives that are bringing sustainable development to Haiti and can no doubt use additional support.
- Whether or not you were able to participate, please keep your materials coming. In writing up a summary of the call, we welcome additional information on your interests, your plans, and your opinions and concerns, which can be posted as comments to this item.
Based on the discussion, the Sustainable Leadership Forum and the Working Group for a Sustainable Future for Haiti also welcome specific partnering proposals that we can work on together.
It is clear that there are numerous business, investment, and grant opportunities that can be leveraged to support truly sustainable development in Haiti, in partnership with Haitians both in Haiti and in the diaspora, as well as in collaboration with other NGOs, international organizations, the government of Haiti, local communities, and socially responsible investors.
We can act on some of these opportunities, and help to facilitate interconnections for others. Our goal is to support both existing and emerging efforts that can contribute positively to Haiti’s long term self-regeneration.
We’re also interested in knowing whether you plan to attend the Sustainable Haiti conference in Miami, March 17-19. As John Rosser noted on the call, this is the largest economic development conference in Haiti’s history, and will bring together many of the key players, including:
- The Haitian League
- Fonkoze
- IDB
- MIF Foman
- Favaca
- Haitian-American Chamber of Commerce
- PADF
- Consortium for Haitian Empowerment
and others.
The key as always is to leverage the utilization of resources. Haiti’s greatest asset, as someone noted on the call, is its people, and this is where the action needs to begin. We then need to “follow the money,” as someone else noted, and measure the outcomes for the communities and the ecosystems in Haiti. We can also add our efforts to those promoting permaculture and sustainable agriculture; appropriate technologies in a wide range of areas; and local entrepreneurship and economic development.
Please continue to visit our site for further updates and let us know how you want to stay connected by posting your comments here for the benefit of others. Thanks.