Month: October 2009

Haiti's Senate replaces Prime Minister

~ peterhaasaidg
Prime Minister Pierre-Louise at IDB investor meeting

Former Prime Minister Pierre-Louise at the IDB investor meeting in Port Au Prince earlier this month with Former President Bill Clinton, President Rene Preval and Inter-American Development Bank President Luis Alberto Moreno. Photo by Peter Haas AIDG

Haiti’s Prime Minister Michele Pierre-Louis was dismissed by the Haitian senate in late night voting. President Rene Preval has nomminated Jean Max Bellerive, the country’s planning and co-operation minister, to be her replacement.

Quotes on the dismissal:

From the Miami Herald:

” Pierre-Louis, in office for a year, said she has spent much of her tenure getting international support for Haiti after four back-to-back storms devastated the country last year, and it is too soon to see the results of her work.

Senators were not swayed.

But unlike the last censure of a Haitian prime minister — Jacques-Edouard Alexis in April 2008 following days of food riots — this one wasn’t as swift or orderly.

At times, chaos reigned: Lawmakers screamed and talked over one another in front a national television audience.

The Senate president often rang a small silver bell in a futile attempt to create order as the session stretched into Friday morning without a vote. The vote finally occured at about 12:15 a.m., long after Pierre-Louis’ Senate supporters had left, believing they had succeeded in preventing a vote.

“There is an error in the summons and everyone knows it,” said Sen. Youri Latortue, a Pierre-Louis supporter who last year successfully led the movement to oust Alexis.

But those lined up against Pierre-Louis weren’t moved by the constitutional arguments, nor her letter to the Senate president questioning the validity of the censure and informing him that she did not plan to attend the session.”

From Al Jazeera:

“The move to fire Pierre Louis comes days after Bill Clinton, the UN’s special envoy to Haiti and a former US president, told an investor conference in Port-au-Prince that Haiti’s political risk was lower than it had been in his lifetime.”

Related Posts

Videos From the IDB Meeting in Port Au Prince
A Roundup of Tweets from the IDB Business Meeting in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti
$1.2 billion in debts canceled to help Haiti

Link of the Day 10282009: Illegal charcoal production across DR-Haiti border makes $2.5m for retailers [Dominican Today]

~ peterhaasaidg

From Dominican Today:

An Environment Ministry study in Baoruco and Independencia provinces (southwest) identified 23 communities where 200 people make 37,000 sacks of charcoal per month, a clandestine market worth RD$89.2 million (US$2.5 million) yearly.
.
.
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[The Cross-border Environmental Program report] details a simple yet effective chain to make, traffic and illegally market charcoal in Haiti and notes that the 200 producers are mostly of Haitian origin, helped by 12 Dominican truck drivers, to produce every month around 37,000 sacks, sold to less than five Haitian retailers, who gather on the west side of the lake, for subsequent transport and sale in Port au Prince.

“This production equals 445,788 sacks annually (27,300 tons) which is sold at RD$200 (US$5.55) per sack, generating an annual market of RD$89.2 million, US$2.5 million).” the study headed by the consultant Humberto Checo said.

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Wood Charcoal in Haiti [Video, French]
Rough Guide: How to make sugar-cane charcoal [Pictorial Overview]
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Bentley Leadership Forum Part III: Keynote by Jeff Swartz [A bit on Timberland in the DR]

Link of the Day 102709: No Loo? No I do. [Washington Post]

~ peterhaasaidg

From the Washington Post:

An ideal groom in this dusty farming village is a vegetarian, does not drink, has good prospects for a stable job and promises his bride-to-be an amenity in high demand: a toilet.

In rural India, many young women are refusing to marry unless the suitor furnishes their future home with a bathroom, freeing them from the inconvenience and embarrassment of using community toilets or squatting in fields.

About 665 million people in India — about half the population — lack access to latrines. But since a “No Toilet, No Bride” campaign started about two years ago, 1.4 million toilets have been built here in the northern state of Haryana, some with government funds, according to the state’s health department.

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In Social Enterprise force yourself to be an entrepreneur first

~ peterhaasaidg

Pete Haas just made an interesting post on starting a small international NGO over at the TED Fellows Blog. Here is a snipit:

Entrepreneurs or Idiots?

Entrepreneurs or Idiots?
Don’t let the social overtake the enterprise.

“Fortunately if you are starting a new program abroad you don’t need to be an idiot like I was. Here are ten “rules” of starting an international service organization that would have helped me if I had known them a few years ago, and maybe can help you. To anybody running an organization they may seem obvious but it is amazing how many early stage entrepreneurs ignore them while focussed on the mission of trying to just get the school built, the pollution reduced, the farm running, etc. With these rules maybe you can start an enterprise that is as much enterprise as social.

Rule number 1: Don’t start a new organization

There are literally millions of established organizations globally that are in need of support. Before you start something new ask yourself: “What can I do to help something that is already here become more effective?” There are several programs I know of now that if I had learned about them earlier and applied to a management position it could have likely saved me a few years of getting my program running.

Rule number 2: Clearly define what you do and stick with it

So in the face of massive unmet need there is always the temptation to run the feeding-housing-water-sanitation-ecotourism-renewable energy-child education-dolphin saving program. But unless you are say putting up a millennium village presenting this type of program to funders can be a tough sell. To draw an example from my experience at AIDG donors may not see the clear link between a program in say ecotourism and a program in say light industrial fabrication. Don’t be a swiss army knife. Do one or two things well . . . “

Read The Full Post at the TED Fellows Blog

COOPEN: Winner of AIDG's Konkou Biznis Ayiti 09

~ peterhaasaidg
COOPEN

A Winner in Haiti
Fast Company
Jun 24, 2009

COOPEN (“Coopérative pour la Promotion et l’Exploitation de l’Environnment”) was formed in 2009 in Cap-Haïtien, Haiti as a business cooperative dedicated to helping its members and customers convert organic waste into energy and agricultural fertilizer. In addition to producing and installing biodigester systems (specially-designed reactors for converting organic waste into biogas), COOPEN also offers comprehensive training programs to ensure that end-users can get the most out of these systems. Founders Roger Jean-Pierre and Raphaël Bélizaire, winners of AIDG’s inaugural business plan competition Konkou Biznis Ayiti, see COOPEN as a model in Haiti for socio-economic development that also engages citizens in the protection of the environment. Their objective is to reduce waste, decrease domestic dependence on charcoal, and provide a cost-effective alternative to propane gas, while at the same time promoting a profitable cooperative model where members share in the benefits.

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A Roundup of Tweets from the IDB Business Meeting in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti

~ peterhaasaidg

Here is a roundup of the tweets from the InterAmerican Development Bank International Business meeting in Port-au-Prince, Haiti:

  1. Clinton talk, push SME development, need to build out airport in Cap, need to build roads, Haiti turning corner, IS more stable 3:16 PM Oct 1st
  2. One group in small solar systems saw seven fold slaes increase from 100K USD to 700K USD this past year. 2:25 PM Oct 1st
  3. In group deal meetings on the energy sector. Saw several applicants that were matches for E+Co. Including one from our konkou in biodiesel 2:23 PM Oct 1st
  4. It is essential that Haiti`s political class works in spirit of cooperation to smooth over bueracratic processes and form favorable climate 7:51 AM Oct 1st
  5. Canada believes development of SME should be foundation of economic growth. Launched Haiti markets program.7:48 AM Oct 1st
  6. Amb. Canada: Haiti second largest investment partner for CA, after afghanastan. 555 mil CAD invested. At forefront of debt reduction. 7:47 AM Oct 1st
  7. IDB value added TAS (technical assistance) roughly 400K in Haiti. Future oncentrate on infrastructure, agirculture, managirial training SME 7:39 AM Oct 1st
  8. IDB MIF (microentreprenuer investent fund) 6.8 million dollar portfolio in Haiti. 7:35 AM Oct 1st
  9. Exports currently only 12% of GDP, has protections and favorable regimes with the US. IDB invests in road, electric, ag, watsan, tourism, ed 7:33 AM Oct 1st
  10. Steven Puig, Q:why haiti why now? A: It is about Haiti`s growing possitive trajectory. 7:29 AM Oct 1st
  11. The panel for the IDB needs a moderator. The monologues are going too long. 7:25 AM Oct 1st
  12. strong new protections for international investors to encourage investment tax breaks, need to create conditions 4 productive investment 7:13 AM Oct 1st
  13. Minister of commerce, we are ready to accept investment.7:04 AM Oct 1st
  14. Haiti`s PM: Jobs and economic development are a priority of the Haitian Government, foreign investors must work with local entreprenuers 7:03 AM Oct 1st
  15. Haiti`s PM opened strong: need to remove negative media image, move away from aid and into job creation, build roads, make investent 7:01 AM Oct 1st
  16. At IDB international Business meeting in Haiti. Waiting for President Clinton, Prime Minister Pierre-Louis to speak. 6:09 AM Oct 1st
  17. PCH on his way to Port-au-Prince today for a Haiti conference put on by the InterAmerican Development Bank 6:51 AM Sep 30th

Related Posts

Videos From the IDB Meeting in Port Au Prince
$1.2 billion in debts canceled to help Haiti

Videos From the IDB Meeting in Port Au Prince

~ peterhaasaidg

At Clinton Global Initiative last month, we recieved an invitation to attend the Inter American Development Bank meeting on investment in Haiti. Here are a few clips from the event in Port au Prince. Overall the meeting held a high level of optimism for development both of job growth and infrastructure within Haiti. Let us hope, as UN special envoy Clinton says in the following clips, that we can move beyond just having discussions and into partnerships that hold tangible results for the Haitian people.

President Clinton Keynote:

President Clinton Closing:

Duration: 2min 3 secs

President Preval Closing Part 1:

Duration: 6min 6sec

President Preval Closing Part 2:

Duration: 6 min 22secs

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