Rosendo Álvarez III
Honorary Consul of the Republic of Estonia
Dean, Consular Corps Accredited in the Dominican Republic
Chairman, Caribbean Regional Committee
I am deeply honored and pleased
to have the distinct opportunity
today of being invited to this
Board of Directors meeting of
the World Federation of Consuls
(FICAC) to bask in the company
of such conclave of extraordinary
colleagues; to witness, in the unique
setting of the emirate of Dubai, the
living testimony of the dictum that
states that all that the mind can
conceive can be achieved and, to
fulfill the responsibility bestowed
upon us by our distinguished
President of the Board, Honorable
Arnold Foote, of reporting to this
august audience on the tragic events
brought about to the brother nation
of Haiti by a ravaging
earthquake on the
afternoon of the 12th
of January 2010.
Tragedy of such
searing magnitude
has impacted not only
the flesh of those who
have perished and
those disenfranchised
of their humble
abodes, but the souls
of citizens all around
the globe as well.
This is why the
overriding theme of
our report is:
The Haitian
Earthquake Crisis:
Hope and Rise from
the Shambles.
Background
Visiting briefly the halls of history in
the Caribbean one would find that
the interaction of the world powers
from the 16th century onward left a
small island in the center of the "New
World", split in two nations, two
cultures and two languages. The
Haitian independence preceded
all independence movements
in the American Hemisphere,
with the exception of that of the
United States of America; back
in 1805 Haiti declared claims of
self determination, earned thru the
defeat of the Napoleonic forces.
The Creole culture was a mixture
of the ways, means and beliefs of
the diverse African tribes. Much of
the population had its ancestry in
Africa, but the language and norms
were French.
The eastern portion of the Hispaniola
Island, where Columbus landed
in 1492 was part of the Spanish
empire until its attention waned
enough to make it possible for the
Haitians to assume control of that
portion of the island in 1822. The
result was then one government,
two languages, two cultures, two
distinct ethnic compositions. Such
state of affairs lasted for almost
twenty two years until 1844 when
the Dominican Republic was born
as an independent state.
As we fast forward memory lane
we reach the 20th Century and at
the close of it we find one island
with two countries, 18 million
inhabitants, one country a victim
of deforestation and erosion,
half forgotten by the international
community and persistently sitting
on top of the unfortunate distinction
of being the poorest country in the
Americas, that country is Haiti.
On the other side, we find the
Dominican Republic, although a
poor nation as well, presenting an
absolute contrast. A much more
progressive and green environment,
having boasted at times average
GDP growth of about 7% for as
long as a decade. Several very
modern metropolises and a key
trade partner to Haiti. These former
and present glories account for
the presence of about one million
Haitian nationals in Dominican soil.
At the time of the earthquake, in the
downing of the first decade of the
21st century, Haiti was working very
hard to achieve strong institutional
bases, a UN multinational military
force helped maintained order and
try to pave the road towards the
sustainable democracy aspired
by the Haitian authorities and the
nation. It was a tough road that has
just gotten tougher. Only that, this
time, the world was really looking!
The Earthquake
At around 4 pm the earthquake
hit Port Au Prince with its core
devastating force in the suburb of
Carrefour. The tremors were felt in
the Dominican Republic and as far
as Venezuela, according to some
reports.
The fury has left a suspected 200
thousand dead and about two
million without shelter. Among the
dead lay some of the key actors
of the institutional machinery
of the government, the UN and
the MINUSTAH, the UN security
forces. The Presidential Palace
was rendered unusable as well
and President Rene Preval was left
without a seat of government.
The first aid to arrive in the early
morning of the 13th of February
came from the Dominican Republic.
As news began to flow to the
world and the crude images of the
unfolding drama captured us all
around the world, the wheels of
solidarity began to quickly turn. An
environment of shock, confusion
and challenges created a logistical
nightmare and increased the overall
level anxiety and frustration. On
the other hand, such despair was
countervailed with each rescue
from the rubble. A mass destruction
never heretofore witnessed by
many of the international rescue
professionals in the scene during
the first week of the aftermath.
The Consular Corps in the
Dominican Republic selected the
most apt members for that initial part
of the crisis including our Secretary
of the Board, Honorary Consul
from Belgium, engaged quickly in
coordinating medicine, water and
food delivery to Haiti. Drinkable
water was also contributed by the
Honorary Consul from Liberia. The
rest made cash donations to the
Red Cross and to local foundations.
Several TV fundraising marathons
have been organized. Doctors have
traveled to Haiti and hospitals in
the Dominican Republic have been
receiving victims from the quake.
The Outlook
The virtual disintegration of the
capital city of Haiti presents
an extraordinary opportunity
to leverage the international
commitment to not just remediate a
city but to reconstruct a nation.
In such context we have consulted
with several of the actors of the
rescue effort and the following are
some of the thoughts that may
deserve the attention of FICAC
in this process of analysis on
how to implement a sustainable
contribution of measurable impact
in the medium and long term.
The Needs
1. Health
The World Health Organization
establishes that as the emergency
phase of the tragedy subsides there
is a pressing need for:
Mobile and communitybased
clinics that can provide
maternity care
post-operative care
Treatment for chronic health
issues such as diabetes, heart
disease, HIV, Tuberculosis and
Tetanus.
2. Shelter and Institutions
It is estimated that Haiti will need
billions of dollars to build new
housing and government buildings.
Key official sites such as the
Presidential Palace, the Parliament,
thirteen of the fifteen ministries'
buildings were destroyed.
A key element will be the
establishment and implementation
of technical construction standards
that reflect the reality of living in a
seismic region given the identified
faults in the island.
3. Economic Development Opportunities.
They propose that the construction
of new homes be linked to the
generation of new economic
opportunities, in areas less prone to
natural disasters. This would require
the expansion of secondary cities
and agricultural modernization.
4. Capacity Building for Job Creation.
Reconstruction of Haiti will be
sustainable as long as there is an
increasingly trained workforce.
The new opportunities will require
personnel that can leverage the new
information and communication
technologies to generate the quality
leap of services that the massive
international aid may make possible
if properly applied.
Suggested Elements for a FICAC Support Strategy for the Reconstruction of Haiti.
1. In the Health realm, FICAC
can seek to raise the funding
necessary to implement a mobile
medical assistance program in
association with educational
institutions such as the Universidad
O&M/Harvard Medical International
School of Medicine, from Santo
Domingo.
2. In the Shelter and
Institutional Building area, FICAC
can sponsor with the cooperation of
the Engineering School of O&M and
other international developers the
creation of a safe homeless children
mini-ecosystem, in accordance to
best practices and standards.
3. In the Capacity Building for
Job Creation and Innovation arena,
FICAC may consider supporting the
creation of a Business Incubator and
leverage local innovation including
motivating individual sustainable
energy projects.
Conclusion
These are ideas to spark a lively
debate that may stimulate a
course of action that results in a
measurable positive contribution
from FICAC to the reconstruction of
Haiti. I sincerely thank you for your
kind attention.
Rosendo Álvarez III.
