UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon plans to name former US President Bill Clinton as his special envoy to Haiti, UN officials said yesterday, in a move that could attract investment in the Western Hemisphere’s poorest nation and help stabilize the country.
“The announcement is expected to come soon,” one UN official told Reuters on condition of anonymity. The official said a formal announcement could come as early as today.
Clinton, who has galvanized efforts to help the impoverished Caribbean nation recover from the devastating impact of four hurricanes last year, accompanied Ban on a trip to Haiti earlier this year. Several other diplomats confirmed the appointment of the former president, who is trying to help Haiti through his Clinton Global Initiative foundation.
“This is something that has been in the works for some time,” a diplomat said. During their March visit to Haiti both Clinton and Ban said they were impressed by Haiti’s growth potential and urged its government to quickly exploit favourable terms of trade with the United States and the stabilizing presence of about 9,000 UN peacekeepers.
