Haitian Voices Heard on Capitol Hill
On July 27, ActionAid USA partnered with the Haiti Advocacy Working Group to help organize a major hearing sponsored by the Congressional Black Caucus in the US Congress on the state of Haiti six months after the country was devastated by an earthquake.
The event, held in the US House of Representatives, was titled, “Focus on Haiti: The Road to Recovery – A Six Month Review.”
The hearing was significant as it presented the first opportunity for Haitian civil society leaders to testify before Congress since the January 12th earthquake.
ActionAid, working in collaboration with Congresswoman Barbara Lee’s office, the CBC’s Foreign Policy and International Relations Task Force, and the Haiti Advocacy Working Group, helped to plan the Haiti Hearing. In light of the lack of Haitian voices at previous Congressional Hearings on Haiti, we sought to create a forum in which Haitian Civil Society leaders could offer their own recommendations to key members of Congress.
ActionAid supported the participation of one of the Haitian civil society panelists, Camille Chalmers. Camille is the Executive Director of PAPDA (Haitian Advocacy Platform for Alternative Development) and has helped lead the organization since 1995. He is a leading Haitian economist who specializes in the analysis of economic integration and the formulation of public policy alternatives. He has a Masters in Economics and Planning with a specialization in Process Management Integration.
At PAPDA he has helped build the capacity of partner organizations and social movements to develop alternative development models while fighting against the application of neoliberal policies in Haiti. PAPDA has worked hard to help build member organizations’ capacity to advocate for change on both a national and international level.
“We must develop national mechanisms for the inclusion of public opinion and civil society expertise in the redevelopment of our country,” said Camille to the CBC members. “This earthquake has presented an unprecedented opportunity to change social structures that prioritize the needs of the wealthy over the poor, the urban minority over the rural majority, the State over civil society and foreign investments over national priorities.”
Additional speakers included Loune Viaud and Paul Farmer from Partners in Health, Haitian Rights Lawyer Ira Kurzban and USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah. A clear message that emerged from the hearing was that redevelopment in Haiti must be driven by the people. In addition, greater attention must be paid to current camp conditions, gender-based violence, access to jobs for the poorest, local food purchase and civil society inclusion in reconstruction planning. Rep. Yvette Clark, during her call for USAID to recognize the difficult plight of displaced Haitians and to listen to the needs of people on the ground, said, “Haiti’s success will come only if the country can be rebuilt by Haitians, for Haitians.”
Links to testimony from the hearing:
• Testimony of Camille Chalmers, PAPDA
• Testimony of Loune Viaud, Zanmi Lasante
• Testimony of Paul Farmer, Partners in Health Haiti
Hearing Flickr Photos
Rep.'s Sheila Jackson-Lee, Barbara Lee, John Conyers and Donald Payne
PAPDA Director Camille Chalmers Responding to Rep. Jackson-Lee’s Question
