Haiti Transition Initiative: Reflections on Program Strategy and Strengths, 2004-2006

摘要

USAIDs Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) mission is to support U.S. foreign policy objectives by helping local partners advance peace and democracy in priority countries in crises. Seizing critical windows of opportunity, OTI works on the ground to provide fast flexible short-term assistance targeted at key political transition and stabilization needs. OTI launched a program in Haiti, the Haiti Transition Initiative (HTI), in May 2004 in response to the political turmoil surrounding the resignation of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide on February 29, 2004. OTIs goal in Haiti was to support a peaceful transition by helping volatile communities create stability and progress. Given the complexity of the Haitian context and the political and programmatic changes that took place during the first two years of the program, it is important for future programming to examine the evolution of HTI to help shape the way forward, and to consider the fundamental elements that may be applicable in similar initiatives. Hence, the purposes of this report are twofold: 1) to review the program strategy of HTI; and 2) to identify the strengths of the HTI program that could be applied to other OTI programs in similar contexts. The first part of the report will provide information about the context within which HTI was implemented. Haiti has had a history of political turmoil and violence and was cycling through yet another highly unstable period when HTI began. The next section discusses the program strategy covering the four stages of HTI, and how and why HTI approached implementation differently in the provinces of Haiti versus PAP. The next section focuses on the strengths of HTI including IOMs approach of staying in the background rather than seeking attention; location selection; their insistence on community ownership of the projects; the flexible and responsive nature of the program; the commitment to including multiple partners in the decision making process for projects; ensuring that the Interim Government of Haiti (IGOH) was involved; encouraging communities to implement multiple projects; and developing a visible and compelling message. The conclusion of the report illustrates the programs impact and outcomes including comments on the challenges of measuring the impact of HTI and some anecdotes from program participants and others.