Aug
12
Our Projects, and the Project Approval Process
The Sustainable Haiti Coalition is increasingly being invited to play a broader role in the planning and implementation of initiatives supporting the sustainable redevelopment of Haiti. Consequently we have been discussing a number of such initiatives with our closest members and supporters. These range from playing a role in the development of a sustainable building industry in Haiti, to the creation of a network of business incubators to foster entrepreneurship and innovation throughout Haiti, to assisting in the reconstruction of the higher education sector, to planning new infrastructure and new communities, to marketing carbon credits as a way of funding the reforestation of Haiti.
Some of these projects are discussed in further detail elsewhere on the site. At the same time, it’s also important to understand that the process for approving and funding such projects is becoming increasingly formalized. As opposed to what has been something of a Wild West, with reportedly some 10,000 NGOs on the ground in Haiti, there is now to be a substantial degree of centralized planning. The Interim Haiti Recovery Commission (Commission Intérimaire pour la Reconstruction d’Haïti) has now issued application forms and submission requirements for approving all projects starting after June 17, 2010.
All organizations are now required to submit the rather innocuously-named “New Project Concept Note,” which is actually a quite thorough and in some areas quite demanding project description and disclosure form. According to the form,
Donor and civil society organizations must submit this document to the IHRC for projects related to the post-earthquake recovery or associated development needs of Haiti that have not already received IHRC approval and/or have not already started by 17 June 2010, according to the following criteria.
a) Bilateral, multi-lateral or philanthropic donors: If the project has any funding at all from your organization, please fill out the New Project Concept Note.
b) Civil society organization (e.g., Haitian CSO, International CSO): If the project is partially or self-funded by your organization without any funding by a bilateral or multilateral, please fill out the New Project Concept Note. CSOs should not submit proposals for approval that do not have funding or a clear path to funding.
c) Private businesses and individuals: If the project is privately funded by any person or entity without any funding by a bilateral, multilateral or civil society organization and (i) is both reasonably expected to exceed $500,000 and seeking IHRC assistance, or (ii) is of National Significance, please fill out the New Project Concept Note (a list of projects deemed of National Significance will be available online). The Government of Haiti is currently identifying priority projects which will be considered of National Significance.
What is considered a “project,” according to the IHRC, is “Each major group of activities that is related to the post-earthquake recovery or associated development needs of Haiti.”
A project is defined as a group of activities focused on one major overarching objective, one budget or one management structure. For example, a project or program by one NGO to build wells in multiple villages should be grouped into a single “project”. Similarly, a project or program to rebuild a single neighborhood (which cuts across multiple sectors) should be a single “project”—it has a single objective to rebuild a neighborhood. If you have questions, please contact the IHRC at projects@cirh.ht.
Here’s how the IHRC’s approval process works:
Upon receipt, a new project concept note is reviewed by the IHRC, in consultation with relevant ministries, to ensure that the project plans adhere to quality standards and fit within the overall priorities of Haiti’s Action Plan for National Recovery and Development and sector plans. Based on IHRC’s published checklist (to be made available online), each project is rated into one of four categories: “Approved”, “Conditionally approved”, “Request for resubmission”, or “Not approved.”
- Approved means the project satisfies the project evaluation criteria.
- Conditionally approved means the IHRC has approved the project subject to clarification of issues and questions that will be provided in writing by the IHRC.
- Request for resubmission means the IHRC has not approved the project and it must be resubmitted for consideration by the IHRC. Feedback will be provided to the proponent with specific concerns.
- Not approved means project is not approved by the IHRC because it is not (i) aligned with Haiti’s Action Plan for National Recovery and Development or national sector plans or (ii) is not consistent with the project quality standards established by the IHRC.
Responses will be sent via email outlining the decisions made to the primary contact person/organization whose information is provided on the New Project Concept Note.
Why this approval process is needed is explained as follows:
This process assists in the recovery of Haiti by:
a) Providing sufficient detail by project for effective coordination to ensure that the project aligns with the Haiti Action Plan for National Recovery and Development and national sector plans and is not duplicative;
b) Allowing the IHRC to ensure that minimum standards are met in the design and implementation of a project – for example, to ensure that building standards are met and sufficient anti-corruption mechanisms are in place; and
c) Enabling the IHRC to monitor the fulfilment of pledges made at the International Donors’ Conference Towards a New Future for Haiti held on 31 March 2010.
In addition, this information will serve as the basis for a single source of information enabling the IHRC to make strategic and informed decisions on the recovery effort and provide insights into overlaps, gaps and opportunities for coordination and collaboration.
Moreover, approval by the IHRC will constitute endorsement by the Government of Haiti. It is not spelled out what will happen if the project is not approved, nor is there a discussion of how the thousands of existing projects might be brought under the Commission’s oversight. Here’s how the Commission describes its mandate:
- The mandate of the IHRC is to conduct strategic planning and coordination and implement resources from bilateral and multilateral donors, civil society organizations (CSO), and the business sector, with all necessary transparency and accountability.
- The IHRC will take a multifaceted approach to strategic planning and coordination and will pro-actively convene stakeholders to communicate priorities for the activities of donors, civil society organizations and the private sector.
- As part of this multifaceted approach, the IHRC will manage a project review and approval process to ensure that all activities are aligned with Haiti’s Action Plan for National Recovery and Development. IHRC approval will indicate endorsement of the Government of Haiti.
- Projects that must be submitted to and addressed by the IHRC are activities by any person or entity related to the post-earthquake recovery or associated development needs of Haiti, that involves any pledge or donation, or the pledge or grant of debt relief, by any Donor, Haitian NGO, or International NGO, and activities that involve the expenditure of Private Funding relating to a matter of National Significance (list will be available online)
- Projects commencing after 17 June 2010 should be submitted to the IHRC through this document: the New Project Concept Note.
Nor is it apparent whether all project submissions will be made public, or how funding decisions will be made. In fact, only at the very end does the document ask whether the project is seeking IHRC funding, and if so who the Haitian “Partner Entity” is.
The bottom line, though, is that all new projects need to follow this process.
In addition, we know that there is little if any of the promised funding from donor countries available to fund long term sustainable development projects, and the Commission is having difficulty pressuring countries to meet their stated commitments.
This having been said, there clearly are funding entities, from private philanthropies to US government programs. So it’s important for the Coalition to proceed on multiple tracks—to advocate for the inclusion of sustainability principles in the requirements for approving projects, to submit proposals, and to inform our membership of both the requirements and the initiatives we are undertaking.