The full text on this page is automatically extracted from the file linked above and may contain errors and inconsistencies.
5/12/2020 Treasury Under Secretary Brainard Visits Haiti Visit Highlights Deployment of Treasury Staff, Assistance from Multilateral Development B… U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY Press Center Treasury Under Secretary Brainard Visits Haiti Visit Highlights Deployment of Treasury Staff, Assistance from Multilateral Development Banks 7/29/2010 TG-797 WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced that Under Secretary for International Affairs Lael Brainard visited Haiti today to meet with senior government officials, assess first-hand the assistance efforts of the Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), and discuss Treasury's forthcoming deployment of a technical assistance team to the country. "The United States remains deeply committed to helping the Haitian government and the Haitian people," said Lael Brainard. "Treasury will continue to support Haiti's reconstruction and growth through multilateral efforts, including comprehensive debt relief, microfinance initiatives, housing and sustainable energy solutions. We will also increase the presence of our technical advisers on the ground to strengthen government capacity to deliver for the Haitian people." In meetings with Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive, Minister of the Economy and Finance Ronald Baudin and Central Bank Governor Charles Castel, Under Secretary Brainard discussed Treasury's successful cooperation with the United States Congress and the international community to secure full cancelation of Haiti's debt to the international financial institutions. Under Secretary Brainard also detailed Treasury's intention to deploy a technical assistance team to help strengthen revenue collection, improve financial accountability, assist in debt issuance and management and help establish an insurance sector. This follows an initial deployment of Treasury advisors, within two weeks of the earthquake, to provide emergency advice on banking system and financial sector liquidity as well as basic public financial management systems, which helped protect 200 years worth of land titles and official records of all bank loans. Treasury's Office of Technical Assistance (OTA) advisors also worked with Haiti's Tax Directorate to quickly reconstitute tax collection activities. Under Secretary Brainard also visited three projects that underscore the MDBs' responsiveness to the needs of the most vulnerable population and of small and micro-businesses post-earthquake. Upon her arrival, Under Secretary Brainard toured a tent camp powered with solar lanterns provided by the World Bank. While power is progressively being re-established in several parts of the capital, many areas are expected to remain without power for a long period. Consequently, there is a strong need for individual, portable, self-sustained lighting solutions to provide the basic lighting needs required for family life, personal security and caring for the injured. The World Bank project is aimed at delivering 50,000 free solar lanterns to benefit some 200,000 to 300,000 people. The lanterns provide several hours of light each day and are also able to charge cell phones. Under Secretary Brainard then toured the temporary production facilities of Institut National pour le Développement et la Promotion de la Couture (INDEPCO), a network of micro-entrepreneurs in the garment sector, in Cité Soleil, Port au Prince. Before the earthquake, INDEPCO was the biggest garment network of micro-producers in the country, with contracts to sew private school uniforms, uniforms for the Haitian Government and for a number of cell phone street vendors. INDEPCO's buildings and machines were destroyed in the earthquake at the same time orders for garments were rising. In February, the Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF), an entity of the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB), disbursed $180,000 to help rent new space and purchase new equipment and motorbikes to support its micro producers in meeting current and future demand. In the afternoon, Under Secretary Brainard visited two small businesses in Cité Soleil highlighting the World Bank's adaptation of its unique and successful community-driven development (CDD) structure, in which communities and their institutions are empowered with decision-making authority and control of financial resources for investments affecting their livelihoods. ### https://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/tg797.aspx 1/2 5/12/2020 Treasury Under Secretary Brainard Visits Haiti Visit Highlights Deployment of Treasury Staff, Assistance from Multilateral Development B… https://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/tg797.aspx 2/2
@FedFRASER