ACT Alliance

ACT head John Nduna with Prime Minister of Haiti, Jean Bellerive. Photo: Magnus Aronson/ACT

By Greg Jackson

Port-au-Prince - Haitian Prime Minister Jean Bellerive says the election planned for this year will go ahead and that putting it off is not an option.

In a meeting with ACT Alliance General Secretary John Nduna, Jean Bellerive made it clear the Government would inform people of the election date in due time but that there was no question the election would be held.

Mr Nduna told Mr Bellerive that people he had met in Haiti during his fact-finding mission had no information from the Government on the subject.

The meeting was part of Mr Nduna’s plan to meet people ranging from homeless living in camps to Government officials.

Nr Nduna expressed his concern about access to land, one of his main issues during his visit. Mr Bellerive said that on the issue of resettlement of displaced people, he was aware camp conditions were very bad.  If some of the most vulnerable groups were not moved before the rainy season and the hurricane season, people would die. The Government is looking at moving some of the most vulnerable people to safer locations.

Resettlement is a complicated issue. People need to be properly consulted.  In the camps, people have already set up small scale businesses so forcing them to move would compound their problems.

Mr Bellerive said there was very little state land available, which would lead the Government to looking at acquiring privately-owned land. This process had to acknowledge that landowners had also suffered losses in the earthquake.

Mr Bellerive found confiscation of land unjust, saying landowners would need to be compensated. Despite these challenges, the Government and its partners were committed to finding a just settlement.

Among Mr Bellerive’s staff, 70 people died in the earthquake.  Other Government departments experienced similarly high levels of loss.  Despite this, efforts to reassert control were underway.

Mr Bellerive expressed regret that the Government lacked financial resources to carry out its work properly.  

Mr Bellerive said that he knew of the ACT Alliance and its valued role in the immediate emergency aid efforts.

Their talks also covered the role of the Government in rebuilding, how NGOs such as ACT fitted in the relief and rebuilding efforts, and the need for cohesion of intent among NGOs.  Mr Bellerive said 450 NGOs registered with the Government were operating in Haiti but presently about 5000 NGOs were carrying out work.

“He was very clear that the unregistered groups were not going to be able to walk into his door and demand assistance,” Mr Nduna said.

He said he found Mr Bellerive to be a grounded and pragmatic man.