(AlertNet) - Haiti's government and donors are now shifting their main focus from emergency work to reconstruction, but they face many challenges in rebuilding the Caribbean nation more than six months after the January 12 earthquake struck.
Potent symbols of Haiti's slow pace of recovery are the vast makeshift camps sheltering 1.5 million survivors, and the presidential palace which still lies in ruins while government ministers work out of tents.
WHY HAS HAITI'S RECONSTRUCTION BEEN SO SLOW?
A delay in setting an election date has created a climate of political uncertainty and put off some potential investors and donor countries from fully committing to Haiti's reconstruction process.
Last month, President Rene Preval finally signed a presidential decree scheduling a general election on November 28 to choose his successor and a new parliament. But getting Haiti ready to hold elections will be a challenge. So many government records were lost in the earthquake that the electoral register is virtually non-existent.
Aid money has only been trickling in, so it has been difficult to make long-term development plans and approve building projects. In March, dozens of countries pledged $10 billion over 10 years for rebuilding. But only a fraction of that has been disbursed to the Haitian government.
Removing the estimated 20 million cubic metres of rubble is proving to be a major challenge. The lack of space for somewhere to dump the rubble and shortage of heavy earth-moving equipment makes it difficult to clear the debris strewn across the capital Port-au-Prince. Less than 5 percent of the rubble has been removed.
The lack of clarity on land policy and disputes over land rights remains a major stumbling block in Haiti's recovery. Before building can start, Haiti's government and international aid agencies need to determine who owns what piece of land - a major challenge after the earthquake killed some 16,000 civil servants and destroyed an untold number of title deeds and land registry records.
"There are troubling signs that the recovery and longer-term rebuilding activities are flagging," stated a U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee report on Haiti published last month.
WHO IS IN CHARGE OF THE RECONSTRUCTION PROCESS?
The Interim Haiti Recovery Commission (IHRC) oversees the allocation and spending of every donation over $500,000 sent to Haiti.
Co-chaired by Haiti's Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive and former U.S. President Bill Clinton, the commission's board is made up of representatives from the Haitian government and the international aid and donor community, including Norway, Spain, France, Brazil, Canada and Venezuela who all have voting rights.
The commission is responsible for planning, coordinating and approving projects funded by donors, non-governmental organisations, the private sector, and other entities. The bulk of donor aid will be overseen by the World Bank, a voting board member of the IHRC, through a so-called Multi-Donor Trust Fund.
The IHRC, modelled on the Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Agency set up after the 2004 South Asia tsunami, is also in charge of issuing licenses and permits to build hospitals, schools, and carry out economic development projects which include attracting foreign investment and creating jobs in Haiti's mango, manufacturing and textile sectors.
During its first meeting last month, the IHRC approved more than $50 million in projects aimed at creating jobs and providing safer shelters. But critics say key posts in the commission still remain vacant, and there are disagreements among donors about the structure of the IHRC and how much discretion should be given to the executive board.
The IHRC mandate ends in late October 2011 when its functions will be transferred to the Haiti Development Agency (HDA), which will then lead Haiti's long-term recovery efforts.
WHAT ARE THE MAIN HURDLES IN THE FUTURE?
Rebuilding is being hampered by a lack of effective leadership, says the U.S. government. "To date, the (Haitian) Government has not done an effective job of communicating to Haitians that it is in charge and ready to lead the rebuilding effort," said the June U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee report. Preval needs to give his deputies the power to make important decisions to speed up reconstruction, the report recommended.
Up to 25 percent of Haiti's civil servants died in the earthquake, destroying the backbone of government. With a decimated civil service it is difficult for the government to function and get back on its feet. Most staff have not been paid their salaries since the earthquake struck, and hundreds of thousands of civil servant jobs remain vacant.
A lack of coordination and disagreement among the aid community is also hampering Haiti's recovery. "Current donor efforts are marked by excessive fragmentation and a proliferation of approaches and strategies that are undercutting recovery and rebuilding," said the June report.
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