Coverage of The Haiti Conference

Miami Beach, Florida—The Sustainable Haiti Conference kicked off today with anticipation levels running very high among conference attendees and organizers. The morning began with an opening address from conference organizer, John Rosser, and was followed by an impassioned speech by Haiti’s former Prime Minister, Michèle Duvivier Pierre-Louis.

At a poignant moment at the end of her address, the former Prime Minister described a conversation she shared with her brother the evening before, concerning the future of Haiti and the redevelopment effort.

In her words, “We were thinking about how to approach this tremendous task ahead of us. In 2001, 9/11 became ground zero for the fight against terrorism—and all countries in the world embarked in this fight against terrorism. It became extremely difficult to travel, but everybody followed. In 2010, January 12th (this date) should become ground zero for the fight against poverty. Against disease. Against underdevelopment.”

The morning sessions also included an emotional round table debate concerning the culture of innovation and how to connect Haiti to high value networks, using entrepreneurship as a long term solution to poverty. On stage were world-reknowned economists Ashraf Ghani (video-based from Kabul, Afghanistan), Dambisa Moyo, and Paul Romer. The discussion was moderated by Michael Fairbanks of the OTF Group. One audience attendee challenged the panel to consider agriculture as a more viable source of redevelopment, arguing that the conversation had focused to heavily on urban re-development.

Afternoon highlights included a keynote address from The Economist’s American Business Editor and New York Bureau Chief, Matthew Bishop. The best-selling author of “Philanthrocapitalism” discussed Haiti and the surrounding Latin American region’s “generational moment,” comparing the current condition to the fall of the Berlin Wall and identifying an opportunity for the region to begin anew.

Throughout the first day at the conference, Haiti Onward asked attendees to describe their objectives while in Miami and also what they feel is the most important thing Haiti should be focusing on “right now” as relief efforts shift to recovery and growth. Perhaps the most compelling direction came from Jacky Poteau, Executive Director of 1000 Jobs, a Rhode Island-based group that focuses on training and employing the youth of Haiti in fields like information technology and specialty crafts and trades. Mr. Poteau expressed the dire need to “maximize” efforts to support Haiti’s largest demographic—adults under 30 years of age currently make up nearly 70% of the Haiti’s population. Mr. Poteau added, “Get them trained early so that they can compete with the rest of the world. It is the youth who will change Haiti, so we need to support them as much as we can.” [end]