Click here to see photos from the conference on Flickr.
"President Preval, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Secretary of State Clinton, fellow delegates,
The 12 January earthquake crushed a country that was already on its knees.
Despite the richness of its natural resources and the resilience of its talented people, Haiti was by far the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.
Now it’s time to “build back better” – and you are not in this alone.
Rarely have we seen such solidarity, as in this hour of need for Haiti, in particular from its neighbours, including the Dominican Republic and Cuba.
Today’s conference confirms that the international community stands ready to work with the Haitian people and its government – in ways different from before:
We should leave behind us the wrong economic advice from the past, including imposition of unfair competition, which led to import of subsidized food, forcing thousands of Haitian farmers from rural areas into the slums of the capital.
We should help reverse the centralization of power.
And we should ensure the international community, including all NGOs, work with the government, not around it.
Still, the main responsibility for Haiti’s future rests with the Haitian people and their leaders. We therefore look forward to working with the Haitian Government - for better governance. Let me highlight some key aspirations in this regard:
First of all, we encourage the elites of Haiti - both economic and political - to put the interest and empowerment of the people at the centre of their efforts.
To the wealthy in Haiti: Share more of your wealth by paying more tax and providing Decent Work at a decent wage for your workers.
To the government: Be accountable to your people and deliver on all human rights obligations, including economic, social and cultural rights. And not only for men, but for women, youth and children, as well!
The state must provide – and be seen to provide – not only rule-of-law and accountable institutions, but also infrastructure and access to basic services such as health and education – for all. Not only in Port-au-Prince, but through-out the country.
In short, the Haitian state must develop a new and social contract with its entire population.
President Preval, we commend you and the Haitian Government for preparing an action plan for the development of your country which enables you to address these concerns.
And we thank the UN, the World Bank and other international institutions for their assistance in this endeavour.
We support the Interim Commission led by the Government, as well as a multi donor trust fund that will act on the basis of decisions made by the Commission. It is vital that both are flexible enough to ensure speedy implementation.
Mr. President,
The earthquake shook your already fragile political system. Your people have shown responsible restraint at this time of hardship. We call for this to continue so transparent mechanisms can be put in place, to ensure free and fair elections.
While continued leadership by Haiti’s Government will be crucial, it is also important to ensure involvement of the Haitian people in this process, by actively engaging all relevant parts of society, beyond the central Government.
This will promote not only the legitimacy of the action plan, but also the effectiveness of its implementation.
Mr. President,
On this basis, Norway stands ready to contribute, beyond the humanitarian assistance we have already provided. Based on current needs assessments we intend to focus on the following three areas:
Disaster preparedness and sustainable rural development, including agriculture, re-forestation, watershed management and alternative energy, with a priority given to providing decent jobs and sustainable livelihoods for the poor, especially women.
Protection of women and children from violence, sexual abuse and trafficking.
Political dialogue and confidence-building.
Mr. President, today we are pledging 600 million Norwegian kroner – 100 million US dollars - over four years to Haiti.
Thank you.