...greatly handicapped emergency response. The action plan includes rehabilitation and extension of the Port-au-Prince airport as well as the addition of two international airports located close to the towns of Cap Haïtien and Les Cayes.

The port in the capital was greatly affected by the earthquake and became unusable for several weeks. It is once again functional, but with reduced capacity. Its location also does not allow for expansion to receive increased traffic or dock large container ships.

The plan calls for the port to be relocated, as well as for the construction of two more deepwater ports and other, smaller ports to “complete the national amenities.” It says the ports should be funded through build-operate-transfer-type public-private partnerships.

The plan budgets $70 million to support B-O-T repairs to the Port-au-Prince airport and another $35 million to start development on the same basis of a new international airport. The budget for developing the new port plan is $14 million.

The strategy calls for similar B-O-T private investments and, when needed, the establishment of public-private partnerships for national electric power plants, industrial areas and drinking-water systems.

The objective is to mobilize as quickly as possible the needed investment sources for the delivery of infrastructure. Reconstruction fulfillment is expected to stretch over the 10 years, followed by another ten years of development “to make it a real emerging country,” says the plan.

Emergency Housing Comes First

Of the 1.3 million people living in temporary shelters around Port-au-Prince, the report cites studies that show more than half come from homes that can be repaired. Another 250,000 people are living in spontaneous camps in which they are exposed to major risks to life and safety. About 100,000 people are being moved to safer locations on a voluntary basis; the government is developing five sites to receive them. Initially, provisional shelters are being installed, too.

However, the plan calls for these sites to become new, permanent neighborhoods in which shelters are gradually replaced by permanent housing, along with sustainable infrastructure and basic services.

Several initiatives are planned to improve the living conditions in the camps, including, encouraging refugees to return home when possible. The report notes help will need to be provided, including technical assistance to local authorities in the form of multidisciplinary teams, particularly for planning, land tenure and quality control of construction materials.

A security fund will be set up to support reconstruction efforts in municipalities and neighborhoods. In addition, financial assistance, including access to loans, will be backed up by a housing reconstruction fund.

The 18-month plan budgets $140 million for refugee-camp development, which is already being delivered by humanitarian and military stakeholders, and another $155 million for housing reconstruction support.

The report says the private sector expects to create about 500,000 jobs, particularly through the strengthening and creation of small and medium-size businesses, including in the construction and agricultural sectors. To achieve this, the government notes the rebuilding of Haiti will need to be inclusive and favor local labor and businesses as well as local production, irrespective of the financing source.

The lack of clarity on the land titles is a major obstacle to private investment and discourages bank loans. The creation of a land registry is a primary condition for a massive influx of investments, the plan states.