Thursday the World Bank's Board of Executive Directors approved today a US$20 million grant to rehabilitate roads and bridges in southern Haiti, and strengthen the capacity of the country's civil protection to respond to disasters. This is the first grant of a US$100 million package of support mobilized by the International Development Association's (IDA) Crisis Response Window for reconstruction after the devastating impact of Hurricane Matthew. This financing complements the US$49.5 million mobilized for emergency use from Haiti's existing IDA resources in October 2016.

More than two million Haitians were affected by the hurricane, which struck on October 4, 2016. Reconstruction needs were assessed at US$2.2 billion or 25 percent of GDP.

"This financing from the World Bank comes at an important moment when the people of Haiti are slowly recovering from Hurricane Matthew. This will help strengthen the impact of national measures undertaken to mitigate hurricane impacts in the current context of limited domestic resources," said Jude Alix Patrick Salomon, Haiti's Minister of Economics and Finances, which highlights that this hydro-meteorological event has had a major impact on the Haitian economy, causing a slowdown in the economy and an increase in the budget deficit this year.

"Seven months after the storm, there are signs of progress, but this is just the beginning of a long journey to recovery," said Mary Barton Dock, the World Bank's Special Envoy for Haiti. "This funding from IDA's Crisis Response Window will not only help rebuild critical infrastructure and boost the economy, it will also help support Haiti's long-term climate resilience".

The World Bank's Board of Directors is scheduled to consider the remaining 80 million dollars in the coming weeks.

HL/ HaitiLibre