wfn.org | CWS Board says Haitians must lead reconstruction effort

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

CWS Board says Haitians must lead reconstruction effort

NEW YORK, March 12, 2010 - The board of directors of Church World 
Service has "strongly affirmed" the need for Haitians to lead 
development and reconstruction efforts in the wake of the country's 
devastating Jan. 12 earthquake.

In a March 11 "Statement for a Just and Compassionate Response" to 
the Haiti emergency, approved at a meeting in Durham, N.C., the CWS 
board affirmed "the need for a Haitian-led broad-based development 
strategy and planning, in which the Haitian people and their 
community leaders are fully participant, and which includes 
rebuilding of infrastructure with attention to disaster risk 
reduction, creating growing economic opportunities, and addressing 
the need for greater food production capacity within Haiti."

The statement, issued three weeks before a major Haiti donors' 
conference at the United Nations planned for March 31, recognizes 
what the board called "the vital importance of effective cooperation 
among international aid organizations, local Haitian organizations, 
and the Haitian government to ensure that resources are made 
available to all areas of need equitably, and to ensure that local 
communities play a key part in defining their own recovery process."

The statement notes that local participation and 
partnerships--including with partners in the neighboring Dominican 
Republic--have been key elements of the CWS response, which has 
emphasized a need for a "regional approach" to both emergency- and 
long-term needs in Haiti.

For the complete statement, go to www.churchworldservice.org/statement.

Media Contacts

Lesley Crosson, (212) 870-2676, media@churchworldservice.org
Jan Dragin - 24/7 - (781) 925-1526, jdragin@gis.net

Media Contacts

Lesley Crosson, (212) 870-2676, media@churchworldservice.org
Jan Dragin - 24/7 - (781) 925-1526, jdragin@gis.net