Rethinking U.S. Foreign Assistance Blog

 

Posts Tagged: Haiti

 

Getting Greater Value from Post-Quake Aid to Haiti

May 14, 2012

Posted by in Aid Effectiveness Tags: , ,

Vijaya Ramachandran

This is a joint post with Julie Walz

The January 2010 earthquake that devastated Haiti, killed over 220,000 people, displaced several million, and flattened much of the capital, Port Au Prince, also unleashed a tsunami of outside assistance. In the 28 months since the earthquake official donors have disbursed almost $6 billion in aid to help the people of Haiti, the equivalent of $600 per person for a country where per capita annual income is just $670.

Where has all the money gone? On the second anniversary of the quake we set out to answer this question; our new CGD policy paper is the result.  The short answer is that the vast majority of the money so-far disbursed has been paid to international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and private contractors. And while many of these organizations do excellent work, there is shockingly little information on how they used the funds.
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Why America Needs to Ramp Up Aid to Pakistan

August 18, 2010

Posted by in Rethinking U.S. Foreign Assistance Tags: , ,

Molly Kinder

This is a joint post with Wren Elhai, and first appeared on Foreign Policy’s AfPak Channel.

“Heart-wrenching,” said U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon Sunday upon surveying Pakistan’s ongoing floods.  The U.N. chief called the floods “the worst natural disaster” he said he had ever seen.  The numbers explain why.  More people have been affected by Pakistan’s catastrophic floods than any other natural disaster on record — over 20 million and counting. That’s more than were affected by the 2005 Pakistan earthquake, the 2004 Asian tsunami, and this year’s earthquake in Haiti combined.  As millions of dislocated Pakistanis search for shelter and food and as health conditions deteriorate and disease spreads, the need for an immediate, large-scale humanitarian response is urgent.  And this is just the beginning.  Once the floodwaters subside from Pakistan’s swollen rivers, the task of rebuilding will be staggering – with a price tag in the billions, and lasting for years to come.  The effectiveness of the response to these relief and rebuilding challenges will have serious implications for the wellbeing of the country’s citizens, for the peace and stability of Pakistan and the entire South Asian region, and for U.S. national security. Read More…

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If Afghanistan Aid Is Cutoff for Corruption, Why Not Senegal and Haiti Too?

June 30, 2010

Posted by in Rethinking U.S. Foreign Assistance Tags: , , , ,

Todd Moss

Yesterday, the U.S. Congress struck a blow against corruption abroad when Chair of the Foreign Ops Appropriations Subcommittee Nita Lowey (D-NY) removed all non-military and non-humanitarian aid to Afghanistan from the FY11 budget. She claimed:

I do not intend to appropriate one more dime for assistance to Afghanistan until I have confidence that U.S. taxpayer money is not being abused to line the pockets of corrupt Afghan government officials, drug lords, and terrorists. Furthermore, the government of Afghanistan must demonstrate that corruption is being aggressively investigated and prosecuted.

That ought to instill fear in hearts of the Kabul elite and make American taxpayers breathe a sigh of relief, right? Two big problems with this:

Development in Afghanistan is supposedly part of our national security. Our national security strategy is largely based on the idea that the U.S. Government can help promote development abroad through its aid program. Read More…

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