Haiti: A Once-in-a-Century Chance for Change

Before the devastating earthquake of January 2010, Haiti was showing signs of dynamism. However, the pre-existing extreme levels of poverty and inequality exacerbated the devastation. Haiti’s reconstruction, if badly managed, will perpetuate the country’s inequality, benefiting the rich and creating new risk for the poor. If well managed, it really could help to build a better Haiti. The goal of reconstruction now must be a genuinely more equitable Haiti, in which poverty and instability are reduced. The way to achieve that is through reconstruction led by Haiti’s government and other institutions, genuinely accountable to all Haitians. The international community must commit itself now to support that effort in the arduous years of reconstruction that lie ahead.