Global Compact International Yearbook Ausgabe 2010

Latin America
Environment
Rainforest Protection in Doubt
Human Rights
Haiti´s Historic Chance to Consolidate
Through strong international support and the efforts of its
Government, Haiti now had an historic chance to consolidate
its political stability and escape from extreme poverty, United
Nations Special Envoy William J. Clinton told the Security
Council. Despite having been battered by successive storms
and persistent poverty, “I am convinced that Haiti has a remarkable
opportunity to break the chains of its past”, said
Mr. Clinton. The spirit of Haiti’s people and enormous recent
international support boded well for the country’s continued
success, Mr. Clinton said as he described his efforts to work
with the Government, the donor community, investors and
non-governmental organizations to support implementation
of a recovery programme crucial for Haiti’s recovery from
natural disasters and for maintaining its stability. “Haiti can
succeed but not without your help,” he said, urging all who
had made commitments at the April Donors’ Conference in
Washington, D.C., to fund them as soon as possible. Out of the
$ 700 million pledged at that event, only $ 21 million had been
disbursed so far, he noted, adding that, besides commitments
by Governments and international donors, some $ 25 million
had also been contributed by the private sector, including the
Soros Economic Development Fund. In the ensuing discussion,
most speakers agreed that much progress had been achieved
in the political and security sectors since 2006, and praised
the international commitments of the past few months, including
the Washington Donors’ Conference. Many delegates
cautioned, however, that the situation remained fragile because
of the weak economy, food insecurity and other threats, urging
the international community to keep its support steady.
Canada’s representative warned of apathy and “Haiti fatigue”
that threatened long-term international commitments to the
country’s development.
The rainforest protection plan that was signed in Copenhagen
as part of the agenda to reducing emissions from deforestation
and degradation (REDD) has yet to come to fruition. A recent
report from the Rights and Resources Initiative warns that if
the donor nations cannot agree quickly on concrete rules and
regulations for implementation, the indigenous peoples of
the forest will continue to be driven out of their homelands.
“REDD is far more difficult than many people imagined,” said
Andy White, one of the authors of the report. The study also
notes that “unprecedented pressure” could occur in some
areas. The basic idea of REDD is to reduce the destruction of
the rainforests, which is responsible for more than one-fifth
of man-made CO 2
emissions. The United States, Australia,
Norway, Great Britain, France and Japan have set aside $ 3.5
billion, and this amount could still rise if these six countries
are joined by new partner nations. The study reports that the
emerging and developing countries to whom this funding
could go, however, could soon end up in a competition for
investment, which would push back local communities still
further and increase corruption. In the worst case, the REDD
funds could end up going directly to logging firms who had
previously come by forest licences in a dishonest fashion.
Rather than handing the reins to federal bureaucrats, it would
be far better to make those living in the forest its custodians.
As White put it, “the level of deforestation is the highest in
government forests”, while the rates in forests administered
The 2010 Haiti earthquake made
1 million people homeless.
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Global Compact International Yearbook 2010