IDB president to visit Haiti

President of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Luis Alberto Moreno will visit Haiti on Sunday for talks with government authorities and to attend a board meeting of the Interim Haitian Reconstruction Commission (IHRC).



Moreno will also visit a number of IDN funded projects during his two days visit.



The IDB is Haiti’s leading multilateral donor. Last year it approved US$251 million in grants and disbursed US$177 million for projects carried out by Haitian government agencies and for direct budget support.



The IDB’s support focuses on six priority areas for the country’s reconstruction and long-term development: transportation, education, water and sanitation, agriculture, energy and private sector investment.



On Sunday, Moreno will visit a cholera treatment center in Gheskio.



In December, the IDB and Spain approved US$20 million in grants for Haiti’s efforts to combat the cholera that has killed more than 4,000 persons since the first case was detected last October.



Moreno will also visit the facilities of INDEPCO, a network of garment microentrepreneurs, near the international airport.



Last year an IDB affiliate, the Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF), provided INDEPCO financial assistance to recover from the January 12, 2001 earthquake that killed an estimated 300,000 people and left more than a million others homeless.



The MIF is now working with the organization to help its members access higher value export markets.



Before departing for Central America, Moreno will attend an IHRC board meeting chaired by former United States President Bill Clinton and Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive.



Over the past year the IHRC has analyzed and approved several IDB-financed projects in sectors such as education, water and sanitation, agriculture, transportation, housing and credit for small and medium-size enterprises.