U.S. Institute of Peace: Briefing on Crime and Governance in Haiti

Dear colleagues, Haiti remains in a desperate state on essentially all measures of health and human security. The governance and crime issues are now moving to the forefront in the post-earthquake mission again, as the elections draw near. The health and human security issues will need to be addressed within any credible approach to the governance and management of the crime issues. If you are interested in how the U.S. Department of State and Rand are looking at Haiti's resilience, the upcoming U.S. Institute of Peace briefing on October 13 may of interest. See below Mike Michael D. McDonald, Dr.P.H. Director, Center for Health Security and Infrastructure University of Maryland, School of Public Health President Global Health Initiatives, Inc. Coordinator U.S. Resilience System Begin forwarded message: From: US Institute of Peace Date: October 4, 2010 10:35:07 AM EDT Subject: Governance and Crime in Haiti - Event and Peace Brief To view this email as a web page, go here. Webcast: You may participate in this event in two ways. You can register to attend the event, or you may watch the live webcast and participate in online discussion beginning at 10:00am EDT on October 13, 2010 at www.usip.org/webcast.html. Building a Better Haitian State October 13, 2010 10:00am-12:00pm Location: U.S. Institute of Peace 2nd floor 1200 17th Street NW Washington, DC 20036 Directions RSVP Now In Haiti, the challenge of earthquake recovery has been compounded by the need to prepare for presidential elections on November 28. Rubble removal and reconstruction have slowed to a crawl. Competition among 19 candidates for the nation's highest office has raised political tensions at a time when patience is running thin. A panel of experts will discuss the challenges facing the Haitian government and the international community. This event will feature the following speakers: Meghann Curtis Senior Adviser, Office of the Counselor and Chief-of-Staff, U.S. Department of State James Dobbins Director, International Security and Defense Policy Center, RAND Corporation Co-author, RAND report on "Building a More Resilient Haitian State" Alex Dupuy Distinguished Professor of Sociology, Wesleyan University Keith Crane Director, Environment, Energy, and Economic Development, RAND Corporation Co-author, RAND report on "Building a More Resilient Haitian State" Robert Maguire, Moderator Chair, Haiti Working Group, U.S. Institute of Peace Former Jennings Randolph Senior Fellow, U.S. Institute of Peace Associate Professor of International Relations, Trinity Washington University Inquiries Please contact Liz Panarelli at lpanarelli@usip.org with any general questions about this event. Media Journalists should contact Lauren Sucher at lsucher@usip.org or Allison Sturma at asturma@usip.org. Peace Brief Crime, Politics, and Violence in Post-Earthquake Haiti September 28, 2010 | Louis-Alexandre Berg Prior to the earthquake, Haiti made tremendous strides in reducing crime and violence. These fragile gains have since been reversed. Prisoner escapes have fueled the reemergence of gangs and armed groups throughout Port-au-Prince. The proliferation of tent camps around the capital has left over one million Haitians vulnerable, especially women. The Haitian National Police force is overburdened and under-resourced, and public confidence in them is failing. With elections approaching, political conflict could fuel further violence. In this Peace Brief, former USIP Jennings Randolph Peace Scholar Louis-Alexandre Berg argues that directing resources toward mitigating violence while addressing the underlying sources of crime should remain a priority in post-earthquake Haiti. Read more and download the full report More Resources and Tools from USIP