A Long-Standing Commitment to Haiti

President Clinton first traveled to Haiti in 1975. As President, he worked to encourage economic development and restore democratically elected leadership in Haiti. After leaving the White House, he continued to travel to Haiti as a private citizen and respond to the needs of Haitians through the work of the William J. Clinton Foundation, the Clinton Global Initiative, and the Clinton Health Access Initiative, and recently, as the UN Special Envoy for Haiti. After the January 2010 earthquake, he was invited by the Government of Haiti to serve, along with Prime Minister Jean Max Bellerive, as the International Co-Chair of the Interim Haiti Reconstruction Commission.

Interim Commission for the Reconstruction of Haiti (IHRC)

President Clinton was invited by the Government of Haiti to serve, along with Prime Minister Jean Max Bellerive, as the International Co-Chair of the Interim Haiti Reconstruction Commission (IHRC). Established in April 2010 by the Haitian government, the IHRC reflects a shared vision for the future of Haiti that is rooted in the priorities of the Haitian people, marked by transparency, implemented in partnership with friends of Haiti, focused on quickly providing improvements in the lives of Haitians, and informed by reconstruction experiences in other countries.

The mandate of the IHRC is to conduct strategic planning and coordination and implement resources from bilateral and multilateral donors, non-governmental organizations, and the business sector, with all necessary transparency and accountability. In order to ensure that all activities are aligned with the Action Plan for National Recovery and Development of Haiti and Ministry plans, not duplicative, and implemented effectively.

United Nations Special Envoy for Haiti

In May 2009, building on President Clinton’s leadership as UN Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and Haitian President René Préval asked President Clinton to become the UN Special Envoy for Haiti. In this role, President Clinton has worked with UN agencies, NGOs, government and multilateral donors, the international business community, philanthropists, the Haitian Diaspora around the world, and the Haitian people to help implement the Haitian government’s plan to develop a more modern economy.

In addition, since the January earthquake, President Clinton has worked to enhance and expedite the humanitarian response by mobilizing the international private sector, civil society, and donors to advance the Government of Haiti’s priorities and their plans for reconstruction. He also is bringing any gaps in the response to the attention of the Secretary-General and international community, while advancing the principle of building Haiti back better than it was before the disaster.

The Clinton Foundation in Haiti

Providing Earthquake Relief in Haiti

As part of the William J. Clinton Foundation’s focus on global issues that demand urgent action and measurable results, and reflecting President Clinton’s decades-long connection to Haiti, the Clinton Foundation is turning the donations of money and supplies made by individuals and organizations into direct assistance for the people and government of Haiti.

Since the January 2010 earthquake, the Clinton Foundation has been turning the donations of money and supplies made by individuals and organizations into direct assistance for the people and government of Haiti. More than 100,000 individuals have donated more than $16 million to the Clinton Foundation Haiti Fund.

The Foundation issued $3 million in emergency relief grants to 12 organizations, and recently allocated $1 million for communal hurricane emergency shelters and $1 million for operational support of the IHRC. The Foundation also directly purchased emergency relief, education, and agricultural supplies as well as supported the shipment and delivery to Haiti of more than $16 million worth of goods, including 14 pieces of heavy equipment, 32,680 solar flashlights and lanterns, 58 solar-powered streetlights, and 390,000 articles of clothing.

Thanks to supporters and partners, the total value of assistance to Haiti provided through the Foundation’s efforts has been nearly $23 million to date. The Foundation also provided pro bono staffing, administration, and fundraising support for all Haiti relief efforts.

The Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) and Haiti

In October 2009, President Clinton signed a memorandum of understanding with President René Préval and the government of Haiti. The agreement invites the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) to provide on the ground programmatic and technical support to the government, to help expand access to HIV/AIDS care and treatment services and strengthen the systems required to deliver primary health care services. In close collaboration with the government, CHAI has established a country office in Haiti with the goal of helping to increase access to essential health services. CHAI will support the government in strategic planning and resource optimization and will focus on vulnerable populations such as pregnant women and children.

The Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) and Haiti

In 2008, a series of hurricanes and tropical storms ravaged Haiti, leaving many communities without water, food, shelter, or access to basic services. In response, President Clinton made a call to action at the 2008 Annual Meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), asking CGI members to do what they could to help the nation rebuild. The response was enormous. Business CEOs, NGO leaders, and philanthropists came together to pledge more than $100 million in projects to deliver immediate and long-term assistance.

The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund

One week after the January earthquake, President Barack Obama asked President Bill Clinton and President George W. Bush to raise funds for immediate, high-impact relief and long-term recovery efforts to help Haitians who are most in need of assistance. In response, the two Presidents established the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund (CBHF) to respond to unmet needs in the country, foster economic opportunity, improve the quality of life over the long term for those affected, and assist the people of Haiti as they rebuild their lives and build back better. The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund works primarily through partnerships and collaborations with other nonprofit and for-profit entities – particularly Haiti’s own. In all activities, CBHF will work with the Interim Haitian Reconstruction Commission to ensure consistency with the Haitian Development Plan.