Haiti: Fresh Support for Rebuilding Homes, Lives.

Port-au-Prince, September 9, 2011 – A few months ago Jeanne Bousiko was counting
 her blessings after being told that her house had been spared from the destruction
 of the January 2010 earthquake, and that it was safe for her family to live there......
source: Worldbank

GROWTH AND POVERTY REDUCTION STRATEGY PAPER (2008-2010): Making a Qualitative Leap Forward

The paper is broken down into five parts. The first provides an assessment of poverty and inequality on the basis of the data gathered from the most recent surveys. The second outlines the vision of state and non-state actors as well as the challenges to be met by 2015. The third essentially summarizes the major areas of work decided upon by the Government of Haiti at the July 25, 2006 International Conference, which have been reorganized into three pillars: growth vectors, human development, and democratic governance supported by targeted and cross-cutting strategic areas of intervention. The fourth pertains to the macroeconomic framework and policies. Lastly, the fifth covers the financing, implementation, and monitoring of the DSNCRP.
Source: World Bank. 2007

The State of Latin American and Caribbean Children 2008 report: Child Survival

The report outlines broad priorities that are required to accelerate progress on child and maternal health in general, and to reduce inequality in health-care provision and health outcomes in particular. Although the region is well on track to meet Millennium Development Goal 4, which seeks to reduce
the under-five mortality rate by two thirds between 1990 and 2006, and other health-related MDGs, it is clear that many communities and groups – differentiated by income, ethnicity, gender and geographic location in particular – are at risk of remaining excluded from essential quality primary healthcare services.

According to the 2008 report, the Caribbean island nation of Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere, and more than half of the population lives on less than one dollar per day. A history of violence and political instability has weakened health systems, hampering delivery of basic services and humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable. A considerable proportion of the population, primarily in rural areas lacks access to basic health-care.

Close to Home: The Development Impact of Remittances in Latin America. October 2006.
The World Bank is devoting significant attention to the topic of remittances and is stepping up efforts to better understand how migration and remittances can contribute to poverty reduction.
Close to Home: The Development Impact of Remittances in Latin America, a report in the Regional Studies Series of the Office of the Chief Economist for Latin America, is a further effort in this direction and should be viewed as an integral part of the Bank’s program on migration and remittances.

The report analyzes the characteristics of households that are remittance recipients and how these characteristics affect the poverty-reducing impact of observed remittances flows. It also devotes significant attention to the macroeconomic impact of these flows, and explores policies and interventions aimed at enhancing the development impact of remittances in the region. On the whole, the main messages that emerge from Close to Home are quite positive. Even though the estimated impact is moderate in most cases and country heterogeneity is very significant, higher remittances inflows tend to be associated with lower poverty levels and with improvements in human capital indicators (education and health) of the recipient countries. Remittances also seem to contribute to higher growth and investment rates and lower output volatility. Against this background, remittances are to be welcomed and actions that lower the cost of remitting and therefore attract additional flows should be encouraged.

International Narcotics Control Strategy Report for 2006

Illicit Drugs Shipped Through Caribbean Nations to U.S., Europe
The report cites Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Jamaica as major transit points. As a result of their geographic location, many nations of the Caribbean are utilized as transit countries to shift cocaine, marijuana and other illicit drugs from South America to the United States, Europe and elsewhere, according to the U.S. State Department's International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR) for 2006.
Source:U.S. Department of State

2005 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices (Western Hemisphere)

All men and women desire and deserve to live in dignity and liberty. As President Bush said: "The advance of freedom is the great story of our time." Promoting human rights and democracy is a worldwide phenomenon and there is a growing global discussion of democracy and the universal values protected by democratic governance.

By defending and advancing human rights and democratic principles, we keep faith with our country’s most cherished values and lay the foundation for lasting peace. Fulfilling the promise of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and building vibrant democracies worldwide will take generations, but it is work of the utmost urgency that cannot be delayed.
Source:US Dept. of State