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Ad Hoc Advisory Group on HaitiIn its resolution 1212 (1998) of 25 November 1998, the Security Council, while extending the mandate of the United Nations Civilian Police Mission in Haiti (MIPONUH), recognized the indispensable role of international assistance in promoting sustainable development in Haiti, and invited United Nations bodies and agencies, especially the Economic and Social Council, to contribute in designing a long-term programme of support for Haiti. Subsequently, the Economic and Social Council, in its resolution 1999/4 of 7 May 1999, created an Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Haiti , which undertook an assessment mission to Haiti , conducted wide-ranging consultations and submitted recommendations ( E/1999/103 ) to the Council at its substantive session of 1999. In this report, the Advisory Group recommended to the Council that a strategic framework and a comprehensive approach for a long-term programme of support for Haiti be set up. The report also suggested that the United Nations system, which was then present in the country though a peace-keeping operation and a human rights monitoring mission, continues its support for the preparation of the elections, human rights monitoring and police training. The Ad Hoc Advisory Group which was active during a short period of three months was composed of the Permanent Representatives of five countries members of ECOSOC, who were mandated to make recommendations on how to ensure that international assistance to Haiti is adequate, coherent, well coordinated and effective. Building upon the recommendations of the Ad Hoc Advisory Group, the Council adopted resolution 1999/11 on 27 July 1999, which requested the development of "a long-term strategy and programme of support for Haiti in such areas as education, peace-building, poverty eradication, social integration, productive employment, trade, durable recovery and sustainable development, aimed particularly at reinforcing capacity-building objectives and civil society institutions"; the Council also requested that all development partners, the UN system, the Bretton Woods Institutions, regional organizations and international NGOs work in close collaboration with the Government of Haiti to that end. Reports on the implementation of the programme were subsequently presented to the Council at its substantive sessions (see E/2000/63 , E/2001/67 , E/2002/56 and E/2003/54 ). Based on the political situation, the international community froze partially its aid to Haiti in 2000. In spite of this situation, Haiti remained on the ECOSOC agenda. The Council adopted resolutions and decisions (see Resolutions: 1999/4 , 1999/11 , 2001/25 , 2002/22 and 2003/46 and Decisions: 2000/235 and 2001/290 ) which limited themselves to take note of the reports submitted to ECOSOC and asking for further reporting to the following session. In the resolution 2003/46 of 23 July 2003, the Economic and Social Council requested that the Secretary-General, in coordination with the United Nations resident coordinator in Haiti, report on progress achieved in implementing the long-term programme of support for Haiti, and that the report be prepared for the Council on the basis of developments in Haiti. The Secretary-General's report E/2004/80 was submitted to the Council. After the departure of President Aristide in February 2004, a transitional government was formed under the leadership of H.E. Mr. Gerard Latortue, the former Prime Minister. The transitional government had the mandate to organize democratic and transparent elections within two years as well as to improve the socio-economic situation. On 14 June 2004, the Prime Minister requested ECOSOC to set up an Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Haiti to help coordinate the development of a long-term programme of assistance to this country and the activities undertaken in collaboration with the donor community and the Government for this purpose. On 15 July 2004, H.E. Mr. Roland Pierre, Minister of Planning, Environment and External Cooperation, addressed ECOSOC on " Haiti 's economic and social challenges, the role of the United Nations and ECOSOC". He presented to the Council the long-term vision of the Haitian Government for the next 10 to 15 years and concentrated on five areas for action (Property rights; Education; Liberalization of the economy and Environment protection and Infrastructure). I In its resolution 2004/52 of 23 July 2004, the Economic and Social Council decided to reactivate the Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Haiti . The Council also underscored the need for a long-term development strategy to promote socio-economic recovery and stability and ensure coherence and sustainability in international support for Haiti . In its decision 2004/322 of 11 November 2004, the Economic and Social Council decided to reactivate the Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Haiti , and to appoint the Permanent Representatives of Benin, Brazil , Canada , Chile , Haiti , Spain and Trinidad and Tobago to the United Nations as the members of the Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Haiti . The Council also decided that the Group would invite the participation of the President of the Economic and Social Council and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Haiti , also acting as chairman of the core group, in its work. The mandate of the Group is “following closely and providing advice on Haiti's long-term development strategy to promote socio-economic recovery and stability, with particular attention to the need to ensure coherence and sustainability in international support for Haiti, based on the long-term national development priorities, building upon the Interim Cooperation Framework and stressing the need to avoid overlap and duplication with respect to existing mechanisms” ( Resolution 2005/46 ) On 12 April 2005 , Members of the Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Haiti traveled to the country to assess the situation on the ground as well as to formulate recommendations on: In a letter ( E/2005/86 ) dated 6 June, 2005, Haiti's former Prime Minister Gérard Latortue wrote to the President of ECOSOC calling for an extension of the mandate of the Group and announced the creation of a national strategic unit which is considered a ‘think tank' with the main focus of working at the technical level on a long term development plan of the country, in partnership with the ECOSOC Ad Hoc Advisory Group (AHAG). On 18 July 2005, the report ( E/2005/66 ) of the Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Haiti was introduced to the Economic and Social Council. The Chairman of the Group updated the Council on the work of the AHAG since its reactivation in November 2004. During the substantive session of ECOSOC in July 2005, H.E. Mr. Gérard Latortue, Prime Minister of Haiti reiterated that ECOSOC should play an important role in incorporating two strategic dimensions: peace and development. The Prime Minister also stressed that ECOSOC should help “mobilize donors to support financing of government priorities by recipient countries as this is essential for the success of international donor cooperation”. During the same session, H.E. Mr. Roland Pierre, Minister of Planning and External Cooperation of Haiti emphasized that ECOSOC had two significant roles: advocacy and integration. He stated that in terms of advocacy, ECOSOC could mobilize the donor community to provide more significant support to Haiti , as well as to maintain relations with the government of Haiti through its national strategic unit. He further stressed that in terms of integration, the ECOSOC and the Security Council could work together by focusing on the notions of peace and development for long-term development of Haiti . On 27 July 2005, the mandate of the ECOSOC Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Haiti was renewed for one year. In its resolution 2005/46 , the Council requested “ the Ad Hoc Advisory Group to submit a report ( E/2006/69 ) on its work, with recommendations, as appropriate, to the Economic and Social Council no later than six weeks before the start of the substantive session of 2006”. Following up on the Presidential elections of February 2006, H.E. Mr. René Préval was elected President of Haiti. In June 2006, Haiti 's democratically elected government led by H.E. Mr. Jacques Edouard Alexis, Prime Minister of Haiti sworn in. The new Prime Minister in an official letter ( E/2006/88 ) dated 29 June 2006 stated his firm intention to move forward with the long-term programme of ECOSOC, and mentioned that the strategic think tank would be the counterpart in the Haitian Government of the Council's Advisory Group, establishing a close and ongoing collaboration. Reports
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