Reconstruction work gets under way in Haiti: the IMF approved $114 million for the country to rebuild (photo: Stan Honda/AFP)
Assistance After Natural Disasters
“Haiti’s needs are massive and pressing. The international community has responded fast and has already mobilized substantial resources for the relief and recovery effort,” said IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn.
The January 27 decision will give the Haitian government immediate funds to help restore basic financial services and begin to rebuild the country. The decision from the IMF means the authorities can get cash circulating in the economy so that people can buy food and employees can be paid. The funds will also help Haiti pay for urgently needed imports.
The emergency IMF assistance carries highly concessional terms. It is interest free and repayments of principal are only due after a 5 1/2-year grace period. The financing is not subject to any additional policy conditions.
International community mobilizes support
The massive earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12 left parts of the country and much of the capital city Port-au-Prince in ruins and casualties number in the tens of thousands. The Haitian government has appealed for international help to support its plans to rebuild the country and its economy.
“The Fund is participating in the coordinated international effort to assess the economic impact of the earthquake, and will assist the authorities in preparing and implementing a plan for medium-term reconstruction and economic recovery. In the short run, the Fund, together with other development partners, is providing immediate technical support to the Haitian authorities in the area of economic management,” Strauss-Kahn said.
The IMF took part in an international donors conference alongside world leaders including Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive, and other international organizations and aid groups in Montreal on January 25, to lay the foundations for Haiti’s recovery.
Strauss-Kahn has proposed a type of Marshall Plan as part of the international effort to support the Haitian authorities rebuild the country.
