ENG - UN CC:Learn

LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
HAITI
MDG7
Progress Towards Environmental Sustainability
Caribbean Sea
Cap Haïtien
Gonaïves
HAITI
DOMINICAN
Port-au-Prince REPUBLIC
Les Cayes
Jacmel
The establishment of the Ministry of Environment in the mid 90’s was an
important step in Haiti’s efforts to protect and manage the environment. The Ministry’s implementing capacity,
however, remains limited. Its technical and financial resources are too weak for any substantial impact to take
place.
Apart from AIDS, the principal causes of mortality in Haiti are environmentally-related diseases, mainly a result of air
and water pollution and especially affecting children under the age of five years. Moreover, more than 24% of Haitian
territory is prone to serious erosion and degradation. The proportion of forestland in the country was half as much in
2000 as it was in 1987. Approximately 96% of Haiti’s population relies on traditional fuels to satisfy their energy needs. Only
two parks, La Visite and Macaya, are protected. Coastal zones are not well protected despite the fact that they are under clear and
serious threats of degradation.
Environmental degradation in Haiti has affected the socio-economic situation in the country. As a result, erosion and land exploitation
have led to a massive rural exodus, which has contributed to the sporadic urban sprawl, recurring floods, and silting, all of which
have hampered the reproduction of marine resources.
It is likely that Haiti will attain the MDG target for safe drinking water, provided there are no major economic or environmental disturbances
until then. However, while this observation is encouraging,
it is important to note that around 1/3 of the Haitian population
will still be without access to an adequate source of drinking water
QUICK FACTS
CURRENT PORTFOLIO BUDGET
Total UNDP-GEF and Co-Finance: $50,000
Total MPU and Bilateral: $264,656
Total: $314,656
Cumulative Total ODS Phased-Out:
14.0 ODP tonnes
Community-based Water Resources Management 2
in 2015, even if the number of those currently without such access
is halved. Moreover, water distribution systems throughout the
country are undergoing serious functional problems.
Environmental challenges in Haiti include putting an end to the
impunity of environmental ‘free riders’, to the abuse of natural
resources, and to the ignorance of property rights. 1
SPOTLIGHT
Degraded land and weak governance are major reasons why only half of Haiti's 8 million people have access to clean drinking
water. Locating and tapping into clean sources of water is only part of the problem, the other component is managing these
water resources. To build capacity in this area, UNDP and the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) are working with four
communities in northeastern Haiti to expand access to safe water by establishing viable systems that will allow them to manage
their own water needs.
Investment in a sustainable, low maintenance solar-assisted water pump is expected to have a major impact on these communities.
For example, the town of Mont Organisé, situated on a small hill, has no water running through it but does have a significant water
table below ground. To tap this water and ensure a dependable supply of drinking water, UNDP and UNCDF supported the
Government to sink a borehole, and create an 80 cubic metre reservoir and a distribution network of six water distribution points
located around the town reservoir.The total cost of the project was approximately US$ 80,000, of which two-thirds was devoted to
the photovoltaic solar-cell panels which generate power to pump the water.
However, the project is not only about hardware, but also about enabling the community to manage its own water. In Mont
Organisé, where community disagreements have historically run deep, the project caused something of a first by bringing the
community together to set priorities. A committee, made up of representatives of civil society, the administration, and politicians,
agreed that clean drinking water was an absolute priority and the committee will be responsible for maintaining the project.
WATER
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