Media

OTTAWA, April 6, 2010  —  In the presence of Her Excellency, the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada, the University of Ottawa’s School of International Development and Global Studies (SIDGS) is hosting a two-day international symposium on the reconstruction and development of Haiti entitled: Haiti today, Haiti tomorrow: Contrasting Perspectives.

Since the terrible January 2010 earthquake, the already strong ties between Haiti and Canada increased significantly. In a spirit of solidarity, many people felt the duty to respond in tangible ways to this disaster,” pointed out Andrea Martinez, director of the SIDGS. The duty to act extends to academics, practitioners, politicians, lenders and co-operatives but also to the Haitian state, its leaders and the Haitian diaspora to support the reconstruction initiatives in Haiti.

This symposium differs from previous conferences that have been held on Haiti because of the significant number of Haitian participants and their diverse areas of expertise. Its goal is to generate a unique discussion on the following question: How can the crisis in Haiti be transformed into an opportunity for equitable, sustainable and endogenous development?

With that in mind, the symposium has set specific objectives including to describe the conditions in Haiti before and after the earthquake. The symposium participants are also called upon to analyze and assess the post-disaster response taking the following issues into account: sovereignty and the rebuilding of the operating capacity of the Haitian state, especially in the areas of human rights, justice and human security; articulating plans for reconstruction particularly from social, cultural and economic perspectives; identifying the issues and challenges of shared governance; and managing the vulnerability of population groups and preventing future disasters.

At the end of the symposium, delegates will summarize their discussions and present their recommendations which will be published later as the symposium’s official acts on the SIDGS’s website.

Please note that the first and last plenary sessions will be open to the public and to the media.

The symposium program: Haiti today, Haiti tomorrow: Contrasting perspectives.