Dear Common Dreams Readers:
For Immediate Release
Diana Duarte, Media Coordinator
(212) 627-0444; email: media@madre.org
MADRE to Haiti Donors: Respect Women's Human Rights in Recovery Policies
NEW YORK - In advance of a crucial donors' conference on Haiti, 300 organizations
today joined together and submitted a two-page letter of principles to
participating states. MADRE, an international women's human rights
organization, participated in this effort to ensure that human rights
principles are embedded in the international community's response to
January's devastating earthquake in Haiti.
Donor countries will meet at the United Nations (UN) in New York on
March 31, in a gathering to be chaired by UN Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Yesterday, the
Haitian government released a needs assessment that estimated $11.5
billion would be required for the country to rebuild and expand its
infrastructure, social programs and more.
MADRE Policy and Communications Director Yifat Susskind said today,
"Rebuilding Haiti on a more sustainable, equitable and
disaster-resilient foundation will require using human rights standards
to guide the recovery process. The women of Haiti must play meaningful
roles in this process along with other sectors of Haitian civil
society. Their priorities and perspectives, and not the financial
interests of corporations, should be the starting point for discussion
among donors."
The letter of principles submitted today underscores that assistance
must be accountable to all Haitian people and must respect their human
rights. Assistance projects must be driven by Haitian leadership and
must invest in building long-term capacity. The letter emphasizes the
role of the government of Haiti as a key partner for the international
community and for non-profit organizations.
Furthermore, the letter recommends specific mechanisms to ensure that
information is provided transparently to the Haitian people and to
allow for feedback from the community level.
To read the full text of the letter, click here:
http://www.madre.org/index/
MADRE is an international women's human rights organization that works in partnership with community-based women's organizations worldwide to address issues of health and reproductive rights, economic development, education, and other human rights. MADRE provides resources, training, and support to enable our sister organizations to meet concrete needs in their communities while working to shift the balance of power to promote long-term development and social justice. Since we began in 1983, MADRE has delivered nearly 25 million dollars worth of support to community-based women's organizations in Latin America, the Caribbean, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, the Balkans, and the United States. For more information about MADRE, visit our website at www.madre.org.