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Aid Delivery in Haiti: Development Needs, Capacity Building, and Challenges

Date:
Location:
210 House Visitor Center

Hearing Notice

Please join the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission for a hearing on aid delivery and development strategies for long-term capacity building in Haiti.

While economic and social stability have improved since the devastating earthquake in January 2010, Haiti faces a host of challenges to continued improvement, including extreme poverty, economic disparity, and weak governmental institutions. Contentious delays in a long overdue elections process have further eroded international donor support, hampering development efforts. As the world bears witness to the Ebola crisis in West Africa, it is clear that epidemics, including the cholera crisis in Haiti, can cripple weak public health systems in resource-strapped areas with devastating consequences and profound geopolitical and economic implications. This hearing will cover what is possible when public and private sectors form partnerships to deliver assistance, create long-term capacity building, strengthen institutions, and ensure Haiti is equipped to deal with crises and reduce poverty across the board.

Panelists will discuss the success and challenges of aid delivery by NGOs in partnership with the public sector and USAID; what Haiti needs for long term credentialed capacity building; and obstacles that Haiti's uncertain political future creates for development. They will also address issues surrounding donor funding and the need to elevate rights-based funding, or funding that includes community participation, supports the capacity of the state, and emphasizes accountability to rights-holders and beneficiaries.

For any questions, please contact Andrew Longhi at 202-225-8097 or andrew.longhi@mail.house.gov.

Hosted by:

James P. McGovern
Member of Congress
Co-Chair, TLHRC
Frank R. Wolf
Member of Congress
Co-Chair, TLHRC
Witnesses

Opening Remarks

Witnesses

Panel I

  • Mr. Thomas C. Adams, Special Coordinator for Haiti, U.S. Department of State
    Written testimony
  • Ms. Elizabeth Hogan, Acting Assistant Administrator for the Latin America and Caribbean Bureau, U.S. Agency for International Development
    Written testimony

Panel II

  • Dr. Paul E. Farmer, Chief Strategist and co-founder, Partners In Health; United Nations Secretary-General's Special Adviser for Community-based Medicine and Lessons from Haiti
    Written testimony
  • Ms. Loune Viaud, Executive Director, Zanmi Lasante
    Written testimony
  • Ms. Lisa Davis, Human Rights Advocacy Director, MADRE; Clinical Law Professor, CUNY Law School
    Written testimony

Bios

Meeting Documents

Contact The Commission

Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission
House Committee on Foreign Affairs
4150 O'Neill House Office Building
200 C Street SW
Washington, D.C. 20515
United States of America

Phone: +1 (202) 225-3599
TLHRC@mail.house.gov

Accessibility

The Commission seeks to make its events, meetings and hearings accessible to persons with disabilities.

If you are in need of special accommodations, please call (202) 225-3599 at least four business days in advance.

Questions with regard to special accommodations in general (including availability of Commission materials in alternative formats and assistive listening devices, sign language interpretation, etc.) may be directed to the Commission.

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