– at conclusion of Regional leaders’ meeting in Dominica
Stressing the importance of doing ‘more than lip service’ to the Haitian people, President Bharrat Jagdeo has disclosed that Guyana will be in a position this week to provide financial assistance to Haiti to assist with budgetary spending.
The Guyanese leader and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Chairman was at the time speaking at a closing press conference of the CARICOM Heads of Government two-day conference in Dominica last Friday, where the leaders committed to ‘lead from the front’ with assistance directly to the Haitian Government. This is according to the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC).
The Haitian crisis took centre stage at the discussions as the CARICOM Heads rapped with presidents of the World Bank, Robert Zoellick; Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Luis Alberto Moreno; and the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Dominique Strauss-Kahn Thursday and Friday in Roseau, Dominica.
Speaking to reporters President Jagdeo expressed the belief that it would be careless to urge the multilateral financial institutions and bilateral donors to respect the sovereignty of Haiti when the Region itself is not leading by example.
Hours following the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that devastated the Haitian Capital, Port-au-Prince, on January 12, President Jagdeo organised a meeting of various stakeholders which included the opposition political parties, religious and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), at the Office of the President to coordinate a national effort by Guyana to render assistance.
A multi-stakeholder committee was formed, chaired by Minister of Human Services Priya Manickchand to oversee the relief effort for the CARICOM country. President Jagdeo pledged US$1M toward the effort.
At that time, President Jagdeo had stated that, “Haiti, as the poorest country in the western hemisphere, is now severely challenged to cope with this tragedy.  Haiti needs all countries, including the small developing countries, to come to its aid urgently.”
Since then Guyana has sent several containers of donations including items such as rice, biscuits, water, clothing and footwear, to the earthquake ravaged country that left about 230, 000 people dead and thousands of others homeless.
Many organisations, religious groupings, NGOs and Guyanese citizens have come forward and extended their generosity.
The National Relief Committee has since collected millions, the majority of which came from kind-hearted Guyanese.
The committee organised two telethons on the National Communications Network and a television channel in Berbice, while the Women’s Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Human Services, in collaboration with other women’s bodies, held a walk-a-thon that garnered a significant amount of donations in cash and kind.
CARICOM Heads at the conclusion of the Dominica summit agreed on a number of important issues including a call to the international community to show more respect for the Haitian government by providing direct financial assistance to Port-au-Prince, CMC reported. (GINA)