Haiti - Complex Emergency
|
Map of Haiti |
Regional Team: LAC
Disaster Declared: 02/18/2004
Brief Description: Haiti’s 200-year history
has been marked by political instability and weak institutional
capacity. The current complex emergency is rooted in the country’s
inability to resolve a four-year political impasse, which
has caused the international community to halt millions of
dollars in assistance. Since 2000, the electoral controversy
has paralyzed the Aristide administration, and Aristide has
lost popular support due to the inability of the government
to attract investment to the country, create jobs, or reduce
poverty. In late 2003, anti-government demonstrations began
to increase in size, frequency, and violence. The most recent
surge in conflict and violence began on February 5, 2004,
when members of armed opposition groups seized control of
Gonaïves, Haiti’s fourth-largest city. Armed groups
opposed to President Aristide have since expanded their control
throughout the northern region. The ongoing turmoil and economic
instability in Haiti have affected numerous aspects of development.
Ranked 150th out of 173 countries in the United Nations (U.N.)
Development Program 2003 Human Development Report, Haiti is
the poorest country and the only Least Developed Country in
the Western Hemisphere.
FY2004
<
Back to Top ^
|