...emergency period must be used to improve accommodation for the homeless, reopen schools, universities and vocational training centers, and brace for hurricanes. The government hopes to use donor support to create large numbers of high-intensity jobs by guaranteeing stability in the financial sector and access to credit for small and medium-size enterprises while continuing to reorganize state structures.

The government says it needs to move quickly to reduce the vulnerability in risk zones—such as Gonaïves, Jacmel and Cabaret—that are traditionally hit by weather-related disasters. Risk mitigation measures proposed include bank repairs, dredging and rerouting of certain rivers and drainage canals, and building the roads and bridges to maintain transportation links across risk zones in the event of emergency.

In seismic zones, the government says similar attention to drainage, stormwater-collection and treatment canals, and the stabilization of ravine banks can help prevent catastrophe and safeguard the remaining private and public infrastructure. Such activities are part of a vast medium- and long-term program as well.

But to a certain extent, reconstruction isn’t waiting for the government to step in. Work on clearing debris has begun without an overall plan. The report says this means that it is of "prime urgency" to proceed with the identification of deposit sites and the processing of debris to recover recyclable materials, such as steel, as well as concrete that can be transformed into aggregate . The national government wants to “assert its leadership in this domain to avoid reconstruction that thwarts urban planning and also increases in the price of recovery of land.” The plan calls upon the municipalities to work closely with the national authorities. However, the report says, “They will need massive support in terms of human and material resources and major technical assistance to train staff and implement the works-monitoring system.”

An 18-month implementation period is envisioned to launch major projects and create a framework of incentives and supervision for private investment, which the government expects will form the backbone of the reconstruction.

Foreign and national direct investments are key to relaunching the economy, the report says: “The State is committed to encouraging investment by revising legal and financial frameworks regulating investments in the production, transformation, distribution and service sectors.” An incentive policy also is proposed to encourage establishment of manufacturing industries, free-trade zones, industrial areas and areas for the development of tourism.

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the Center for the Facilitation of Investments are working on a process to fast-track paperwork and facilitate investment, the report says.

Regional Centers

The creation of regional development centers is considered critical to recovery. Otherwise, the overdevelopment of Port-au-Prince is likely not only to continue but accelerate. Development centers, in addition to Port-au-Prince, have been identified as the axis between Cap Haïtien and Ouanaminthe for tourism, textile and agriculture; the region around Gonaïves for agriculture and tourism, and the south for agriculture, textiles and tourism.

The plan calls for integrating and developing areas outlying Port-au-Prince and other key cities by linking them with a national transportation infrastructure and social support. It will require construction of 600 km of roads. The 18-month budget sets aside an initial $30 million for the road initiative, with “firm commitment to $600 million.” Another $150 million is included for repairs and maintenance, with an additional $50 million in budgetary support.

“We need to connect these regions using not only a network of roads but also adequate port and airport facilities and a range of public services that are suited to economic and social development needs, particularly in terms of education and access to quality health-care services,” the report states.

It also notes that, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s single international airport was damaged by the earthquake and so...