On Friday, the Government of Haiti and the United Nations signed the framework that will guide UN support for the sustainable development of Haiti for the next 5 years. The 2017-2021 Sustainable Development Framework supports Haiti in its goal of achieving the status of an emerging country by 2030 and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It is the first Sustainable Development Framework signed between Haiti and the UN since 2008.

This Framework will guide the Government of Haiti's partnership with the UN over the next five years to accomplish the MDGs and achieve the status of an emerging country by 2030. The achievement of Haiti's development objectives, supported by this framework, will require an estimated financial resource mobilization estimated at more than one billion dollars (1.108) to make specific and measurable actions possible in 5 priority areas: basic social services, poverty reduction and employment, resilience, gender equality and governance.

This Haitian partnership with the UN recognizes the leadership and responsibility of the Haitian institutions and people as key players in advancing the country's development. In this regard, the United Nations also supports Haiti's efforts to be less and less dependent on humanitarian assistance and to increase the resilience of institutions and the population to external shocks and other potential humanitarian situations.

This new framework is the result of the joint work of the Government of Haiti under the leadership of the Ministry of Planning and the United Nations Country Team (including 19 agencies, funds and programs, and Minustah), to align with national priorities and determine how the United Nations can better support Haiti's efforts towards sustainable development. As a result, the document was conceived within the framework of the Strategic Plan for the Development of Haiti (PSDH) and the Program of Sustainable Development to 2030, signed by 193 countries including Haiti. This participatory process was enriched by consultations with public institutions, civil society, specialists from different ministries and universities, paying particular attention to the voices of youth and the most vulnerable groups in order to leave no one away.

Aviol Fleurant, the Minister of Planning and External Cooperation, said "The essential thing is to see with the United Nations, a framework in harmony with the SDGs. This new strategy is a good substitute for what has prevailed for almost a decade. The old instrument, geared to a particular environment, could not meet the requirements of a national development operation."

For his part El-Mostafa Benlamlih, the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General and the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Haiti, highlighted "The progress achieved through the combined efforts of Haiti and the international community in the areas of the rule of law nd stability, offer the opportunity to move from a situation of vulnerability to a phase of stability and prosperity that make the goal of Haiti more accessible by 2030 with a status of an emerging country [...]"

HL/ HaitiLibre