Shaping the future of Haiti in Davos

Two years after a massive earthquake devastated Haiti and the world came together to provide aid, the country’s president, Michel Martelly, will participate in the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos. The theme of this year’s Annual Meeting – The Great Transformation, Shaping New Models – could not be more apt as Haiti looks forward.

As the catastrophic earthquake struck just before the Annual Meeting 2010, participants were quick to pledge their support to not only help with the immediate humanitarian disaster, but also with the country’s long-term economic recovery. Helping Haiti achieve its economic potential is no doubt a big challenge, but it is a challenge that can be met with new models of sustainable investment that draw upon the expertise of the private sector, civil society and government.

A great example of such a transformative model is the Haiti Hope project, where we see a government (Haiti), a leading company (Coca-Cola), an innovative social enterprise (TechnoServe), a development bank (Inter-American Development Bank) and former US presidents (through the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund) working together for Haiti’s future. Through Haiti Hope, a five-year, US$ 9.5 million-funded project is designed to help 25,000 Haitian mango farmers and strengthen the Haitian mango supply chain – Haiti’s mango industry plays an important role in the country’s export economy and its rural nutritional needs. More of these sorts of partnerships are needed; the opportunities are there to be had.

At the Annual Meeting 2011, the Forum released a report – in partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the World Bank – highlighting opportunities for private sector development in Haiti. This included some of the early multistakeholder partnerships formed, such as Haiti Hope, to drive sustainable growth in Haiti, as well as identified where other opportunities exist – agriculture, infrastructure, textiles and tourism are sectors with great promise.

Although Haiti still faces significant challenges, the Caribbean nation is poised to build upon the momentum generated by a series of recent positive developments that have moved Haiti closer to realizing its economic potential.

For example, this past November, the Government of Haiti, the IDB and the Clinton Foundation sponsored the Haiti Investment Forum in Port-au-Prince. This gathering attracted 500 business people from 29 countries, and featured the opening of a new industrial park that is projected to employ 20,000 in the area of Caracol on the north-west coast. The first to open up shop in the industrial complex will be Sae-A, a Korean clothing manufacturer with extensive experience in Latin America. Marriott International and Digicel Group also announced an agreement to build and operate a 168-room, US$ 45 million hotel in Port-au-Prince.

The Annual Meeting 2012 will once again bring together all the players needed to develop new partnerships for sustainable investment in Haiti. We look forward to the results.

Picture: Haitian President Michel Martelly attends a wreath-laying ceremony at the Jose Marti monument in Havana (Thomson Reuters)