Opening Statement Dan Burton
Ranking Member, Western Hemisphere Subcommittee
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Thank you for being here today, I will be short. I would like to express my gratitude to those in the room for their efforts to bring attention to this fragile country that is generally recognized as being the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Today we must build upon the hearing on Haiti that we held last September by drawing attention to accomplishments and by building a vision to capitalize on these successes for future gains.
Haiti has been at a critical juncture in its path away from poverty with the successful presidential election and the forward momentum it provided in its newly elected government. Recently, however, the Haitian people are beginning to experience renewed paralysis in their government and are losing hope. As a result, the countries and non-governmental organizations providing international assistance to Haiti are losing their small window of opportunity for timely change in the impoverished nation.
Successes such as the tough vetting of police officers for corrupt behavior have taken place with signs of improvement. Unfortunately, gangs and crime continue to inhibit the growth of the economy and hinder many aspects of the development process. Additionally, evidence of corruption and bickering among members of the parliament further impedes the rate of progress.
The United Nations forces, who have recently stepped up operations against slum gangs, have been able to provide a substantial increase in security. This has allowed for some reconstruction efforts to take place. However, more needs to be done and these MINUSTAH forces are only authorized to be in Haiti until October 2007.
In addition to U.N. troops, international financial assistance remains to be a significant Haitian need. USAID has been very active in Haiti, as has Congress by approving the Emergency Supplemental for Haiti, supporting programs to help Haitians return to their homes to invest in local communities and initiating efforts to maintain Haiti's current funding levels. Canada has invested in Haiti's future by providing large amounts of aid and Brazil is supplying a needed leadership role in establishing security in the region.
Venezuela recently announced that is will provide support by having the Development Bank of Venezuela create a US$20 million fund to provide humanitarian aid to Haiti. This money is designated to pay for healthcare, education, housing and other basic necessities which are badly lacking among Haiti's 8million people.
President Chavez's campaign of distributing money is nothing new or unexpected. However, if our desire for Haiti's democracy to develop and grow strong is to remain a possibility, noticeable improvements must be made, and these improvements are largely dependent on foreign aid reaching its target. I look forward to discussing these issues further as we hear from our two witnesses on the development needs of Haiti.
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