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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Canada plans $400-M boost for Haiti relief
JORGE SAENZ / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Enlarge Image
Haitian man demolishes a collapsed building in the Pacot neighbourhood of Port-au-Prince.
UNITED NATIONS -- Canada bought a seat Wednesday at the global table that will direct Haiti's ambitious earthquake-recovery effort, pledging $400 million in money and debt relief over two years.
The commitment at the major international donors' conference at United Nations headquarters includes $110 million of the money the government promised in matching donations by Canadians.
Canadian officials said the announcement -- part of nearly $10 billion pledged at the gathering by governments and international organizations -- left no doubt the country would be granted membership on the Interim Haitian Recovery Commission. Each prospective member was required to pledge $100 million over two years, or $200 million of debt reduction.
The commission of two dozen countries and agencies will co-ordinate recovery projects by drawing on the action plan of Haiti's battered government and the largesse of the international community. It will be headed by former U.S. president Bill Clinton and Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive.
The commission will preside over one of the most ambitious exercises in nation building, aimed at bringing the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere back from the brink after the devastating Jan. 12 earthquake. The quake killed more than 200,000, including at least 46 Canadians.
Participants pledged that they will not squander the promised funds or the opportunity to build a better version of Haiti.
"There will be a high level of accountability and transparency," said Clinton, the UN special envoy to Haiti.
Wednesday's commitment also includes $8 million in debt relief to Haiti.
-- The Canadian Press
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition April 1, 2010 A14
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