Haiti debt relief : hearing before the Subcommittee on International Monetary Policy and Trade of the Committee on Financial Services, U.S. House of Representatives, One Hundred Eleventh Congress, second session, March 4, 2010.

This paper presents a preliminary assessment of the eligibility of Haiti for assistance under the Enhanced Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative (HIPC) to attain the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). It discusses the medium-to-long-term macroeconomic framework, poverty, social, and political developments of Haiti, and summarizes the results of the preliminary Debt Sustainability Analysis (DSA) and possible HIPC and Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative (MDRI) assistance. It suggests a timeline for the preparation of the decision point document, presents key reforms for the completion point triggers, and gives an indication of how prospective HIPC assistance will be used and its use tracked.

This paper presents an assessment of Haiti’s qualification for assistance under the Enhanced Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative. Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) arrangement is scheduled to be discussed by the IMF Executive Board in parallel with this document. The impact of prolonged political conflicts and violence, periods of high external assistance followed by the withdrawal of economic support, and natural disasters has been severe. The government has begun the preparation of a full Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP). An important objective of the authorities is to achieve robust and sustainable real economic growth.