MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on Haiti's reconstruction one year after the earthquake

11.1.2011

to wind up the debate on the statement by the Commission
pursuant to Rule 110(2) of the Rules of Procedure

Charles Tannock, Emma McClarkin on behalf of the ECR Group

See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B7-0023/2011

B7‑0025/2011

European Parliament resolution on Haiti's reconstruction one year after the earthquake

The European Parliament,

–   having regard to the conclusions of the Ministerial Preparatory Conference in Montreal on 25 January 2010,

–   having regard to the European Parliament debate on the earthquake in Haiti with High Representative Ashton on 19 January 2010,

–   having regard to the conclusions of the extraordinary Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels on 18 January 2010,

–   having regard to the European Parliament resolution on the earthquake in Haiti adopted on the 10th February 2010,

–   having regard to Rule 110(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas an earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale struck Haiti on 12 January, with numerous powerful aftershocks continuing to affect the country, causing catastrophic damage to Port-au-Prince, Jacmel and other settlements in the region, including government facilities, key infrastructure and the areas with the most densely populated areas,

B.  whereas 222 750 people died during the earthquake, with 1.7 million people left homeless, 60% of hospitals and 5 000 schools were destroyed, and 3 million people were affected with a total impact cost around USD 7.8 billion,

C. whereas the EU Member States pledged almost €201 million for emergency relief. In addition, the emergency humanitarian funding of the European Commission totalled €120 million,

D. whereas the EU was the first global donor to Haiti, pledging 1.2 billion euros to assist Haitian government in all areas in a short and long-term perspective. The EU committed around €600 million, which represents more than half of the promised funds. The Commission pledged €522 million and has committed €330 millions,

1.  Welcomes the efforts by the Haitian authorities and civil society, as well as by the UN, NGOs and other bilateral donors, to bring aid to the people of Haiti, and pays tribute to the work of relief organisations and individuals from across the Union over the past year;

2.  Notes that there had been positive developments in the humanitarian aspects of the situation; in areas such as family reunification, assessing damaged structures, and providing food, medical aid and emergency shelter, clean up programmes as well as attempts to stimulate the economy and create jobs;

3.  Notes that EU intervention was focused on 3 main areas, in line with the Haitian authorities' priorities and according to the division of tasks with EU Member States which included infrastructure, supporting the State and emergency shelter;

4.  Acknowledges that emergency relief must run in parallel to programmes which include ongoing structural damage assessments and the reconstruction of safer homes and health facilities;

5.  Stresses the devastating effects of the recent Cholera outbreak, and the increased burden this has had placed on the Haitian people and aid workers;

6.  Points out that following every humanitarian crisis the key challenge, especially in a poor country, is broken infrastructure; stresses that efficient solutions must continue to be found in order to put in place basic infrastructure to ensure that basic aid (food, water, medicine, blankets, and medicine) reaches people;

7.  Urges that EU priority be given to providing civil engineering capabilities, with the focus on emergency health, water and sanitation, medical facilities, shelter, logistics, telecommunications, education and food;

8.  Supports EU efforts to boost food production locally by rehabilitating damaged infrastructure and making the necessary material available to small agriculture holders (seed, fertilizer and tools);

9.  Asks the Commission to do all it can to support cash-for-work programmes, which are important for injecting cash into the community, and to assist with getting the banking system up and running; stresses that reconstruction efforts must be carried out with the consultation and inclusion of the Haitian people;

10. Urges the European Commission to further develop its anticipative policy and to have aid permanently stationed in strategic locations so that EU emergency supplies can be more rapidly deployed, contributing to a quicker response in the crucial early stages following a disaster;

11. Expresses grave concern about the welfare of the vulnerable and the displaced, particularly women and children; calls on the EU to do its utmost to provide care to orphaned, unaccompanied and separated children, and prevent their inappropriate or illegal removal from Haiti;

12. Stresses that before the earthquake Haiti was already one of the poorest countries in the Western hemisphere with many of its people relied on foreign aid for their daily staples; with ineffective infrastructure, and social services, as well as a weakened Government, stresses that now is the time to help Haiti become an economically and politically strong and self sustaining country;

13. Urges the authorities of Haiti to ensure the conditions for free and transparent elections, and call for the people of Haiti to participate in the second round of elections peacefully;

14. Considers that the stability and the democratic functioning of Haiti is a pre-condition to ensure that the EU, and the international community, cooperate with a legitimate partner, able to define the priority needs of the country;

15. Calls on the international community to use this as an opportunity to tackle the root causes of the underlying poverty in Haiti once and for all, and to assist Haiti in emerging from this disaster as a fully functioning democracy with an economy that can sustain its people; reiterates that all members of the Paris Club to honour their 2009 commitments to cancelling Haiti’s international debt and asks all others to follow suit;

16. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the High Representative of the EU, the President of the European Commission, the President and Government of Haiti, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief and the Governments of the Member States.