Haiti is getting special assistance from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to improve efficiency and professionalism in its public sector, according to a release yesterday from the CARICOM Secretariat at Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown.
It said that one of the major objectives of the Canadian-funded project is to build capacity in key areas of the Haitian public sector, especially those related to the operations of the Single Market and the operations of the Community.
The activity in its implementation will target areas such as trade in goods and services and training and technical assistance to specific departments and services, including tax collection, customs, commerce and finance ministries.
CARICOM Assistant Secretary-General for Foreign and Community Relations, Colin Granderson, in explaining the rationale for the project, asserted that “if Haiti is to move forward in national development, then it needs a strong public sector.”
He also expressed the hope that through training and technical exchanges, Haiti will get assistance through those precise and focused areas. Ambassador Granderson, who was briefing the CARICOM Secretariat Public Information Unit recently, is of the opinion that Haiti could not be developed through the utilization of support of Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs) and international donor agencies only.
He noted that while those were already in the field in Haiti and provided tremendous help, they could not replace an efficient and professional public sector which is what Haiti needs for national development.
According to the release, in underscoring the views of Haiti’s President Rene Preval, the Assistant Secretary-General reiterated that “Haiti doesn’t want charity; Haiti wants support to deal with the root of its problems to allow it to be able to develop.”
Granderson also acknowledged that in an effort to rebuild the country’s image and change the negative perception, greater emphasis must be placed on public education as well as cultural exchanges.
He maintained that there was “an extraordinary cultural richness in Haiti which is glimpsed from time-to-time but not well known.”
“More positive messages need to be transmitted more regularly – messages which tell the story about a country which is extremely dynamic with great potential in tourism; a country that has a future; a country which may be going through a difficult time now but one that has hope,” Granderson added.
