Ban in Haiti to draw attention to recovery and reconstruction efforts

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will arrive in Haiti today to raise global awareness of the Caribbean nation’s recovery and reconstruction needs.

On his visit, Mr. Ban is being accompanied by former United States President Bill Clinton, potential investors and representatives of non-governmental organizations, including renowned doctor Paul Farmer, who set up a hospital in the village of Canges, and musician Wyclef Jean, whose Yele Ayiti foundation has worked extensively on community projects in Haiti.

During the first part of the afternoon, the Secretary-General and the delegation will visit education projects, such as a feeding programme at a school in Cité Soleil, the impoverished neighbourhood of the capital Port-au-Prince that was formerly controlled by gangs. They will also meet with honour students from severely disadvantaged backgrounds.

Tonight, Mr. Ban and Mr. Clinton will meet with President René Préval and Prime Minister Michele Pierre Louis, as well as with members of the country’s private sector and civil society.

Haiti, already the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, was devastated by four successive storms in as many weeks last year, leaving 800 people dead and another 1 million either homeless or badly affected.

Tomorrow, the Secretary-General will head to Washington, where he is scheduled to meet with current US President Barack Obama to discuss a host of issues, including the global economic crisis, Sudan, Afghanistan and the Middle East.

The two leaders are also expected to confer on climate change, non-proliferation, human rights, United Nations reform and US-UN relations. While visiting the US capital from 10 to 11 March, Mr. Ban will also hold talks with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee.