The plan for an international conference to consider the reconstruction of Haiti beyond the immediate humanitarian crisis is a good one.

While CARICOM, of course, does not have the resources that could put it at the forefront of the financial commitment to this reconstruction process, that does not preclude it offering the necessary intellectual leadership and critical support that will be necessary for success.

Indeed – as the very timely Editorial in yesterday’s edition of the Jamaica Gleaner stated – whatever friction may exist between Haitians and their Caribbean neighbours, we dare say that CARICOM will enjoy and engender more trust from them than the powerful metropolitan blocs.

According to the Gleaner: “There are too many unhealed scabs from Haiti’s relationship, historic and recent, with, for instance, the United States, France and Canada that can easily be rubbed raw, even in an attempt at perfect altruism.

“CARICOM, therefore, is in a position to provide a bridge between Haiti and its supporters. Moreover, this community of relatively stable and functioning democracies offers Haiti a working model upon which it can improve. It is important, therefore, that CARICOM quickly drafts its own Haiti strategy, and be prepared to offer the necessary political and administrative leadership that will be required.”

Today, as member countries of CARICOM and scores of other nations around the world agonize in sympathy with impoverished Haiti, which has been struck a body blow that will take much goodwill from well-wishers across the world to recover from, we need to take cognisance of the fact that one should not underestimate the power of hope and the human spirit.

Haiti will certainly rise from this catastrophic tragedy, maybe to become a greater nation than before, although this may not seem possible at this given moment.

While tears and blood are flowing like rivulets in Haiti, the heart of the world is beating in tandem with sympathy, and it is this phenomenon that defines humanity.

This is the power of divinity, a power that crosses every religious divide, because it transcends borders to reach into the quintessence of human compassion.

Haiti is not alone. Dr. Cheddi Jagan has defined the world as ‘one global village’, and it is at times of tragedy that mankind meld into a common quantum that supersedes the baser instincts to rise as one combined force battling the forces unleashed by nature.

And while one may be questioning God as to the reason for such tragic incidents, periodically vested upon various communities within the global construct, maybe herein lies the answer – that we need to stop, think and act as a human race in cohesion, and maybe it takes great tragedy to catapult the diverse peoples of this world toward cohesive endeavours.

Haiti has been like an impoverished outcast, largely neglected by the international community.

And like the Gleaner editorial posited, it is unfortunate that more than a decade of the Caribbean’s ambivalence towards Haiti persists and that more has not been done, even within the ambit of CARICOM’s limited capacity, to integrate Haiti more firmly into the community. It is a failure that contributed to the slowness in transitioning to a stable democracy and in building an effective bureaucracy.

Today, Haiti is the focus of the world. The world is promising the Haitian people “You will not be forgotten.”

But before tragedy struck it was a forgotten nation. Why should we wait until tragedy strikes before we extend a helping hand – to individuals, to communities, to countries?

However, that hand is being extended today – in compassion and with great beneficence. This should not stop here but should grab hold of this fallen nation and support it until it could stand on its own feet. It is in this context that one needs to look at Haiti’s reconstruction process.

And CARICOM needs to play a key role and must assert itself in Haiti’s reconstruction process.