P 092038Z APR 09
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6306
INFO AMEMBASSY PORT AU PRINCE 
NSC WASHDC

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000378 
 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR S/ES-CR AND S/ES-O; DEPARTMENT ALSO FOR IO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AMGT EAID HA
SUBJECT: LETTER TO PRESIDENT OBAMA FROM SECRETARY-GENERAL 
BAN KI-MOON 
 
¶1. SUMMARY:  USUN HAS RECEIVED AND FORWARDED TO THE 
DEPARTMENT THE FOLLOWING LETTER TO PRESIDENT OBAMA FROM UN 
SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON, DATED APRIL 1, 2009. THE SG 
ASKS THE PRESIDENT FOR HIGH-LEVEL U.S. REPRESENTATION AT THE 
APRIL 14 DONOR CONFERENCE ON HAITI. 
 
¶2. BEGIN TEXT OF SYG LETTER TO PRESIDENT OBAMA: 
 
Excellency, 
 
I am writing to you in connection with the situation in 
Haiti, a country in which I know you share my strong 
interest. I visited Haiti with His Excellency Mr. William J. 
Clinton, former President of the United States of America, on 
9 and 10 March 2009, just before the mission to Haiti of the 
Security Council. We saw people living in desperate poverty 
and a country struggling to recover from the multiple crises 
of 2008. The achievements made with the support of the 
international community since 2004 have been jeopardized due 
to the combined impact of these crises. The situation remains 
fragile, and Haiti stands at a critical juncture. 
 
At the same time, we found grounds for hope and optimism that 
Haiti can break the cycle of poverty. Doing so will require 
increased external assistance in the short term to address 
immediate humanitarian needs, reduce vulnerability to natural 
disasters and lay the foundations for sustainable economic 
growth and development. 
 
It will also require strengthening the Government' s capacity 
to effectively use the assistance provided by the 
international community. However, international aid alone 
will not provide economic security. What is required is 
sustainable social and economic development to enable Haiti 
to move beyond recurrent crises. 
 
At the request of the Government of Haiti, the Inter-American 
Development Bank will host a donor conference on 14 April 
2009 in Washington D.C. The Government will seek immediate 
budgetary support and funding for initiatives related to the 
implementation of the National Growth and Poverty Reduction 
Strategy Document and the Post Disaster Needs Assessment, as 
well as key recommendations from Professor Collier' s report 
and other initiatives. 
 
His Excellency Mr. Rene Garcia Preval and Her Excellency 
Mrs.Michele Duvivier Pierre-Louis, President and Prime 
Minister of the Republic of Haiti, respectively, as well as 
their Government share a compelling vision for the way 
forward. For the donor conference, they are developing a 
focused agenda outlining the country's short-term priorities, 
within the framework of a national strategy for the long-term 
economic security of Haiti. It will identify actions to help 
Haiti recover from the crises in 2008 and to spur economic 
recovery with an emphasis on job creation, including by 
taking advantage of preferential trade agreements, access to 
basic services, food security and environmental protection. 
 
I am confident that their plan can capture the imagination of 
Haitians and donors as well as private foundations and 
investors. This plan could form the basis of a renewed 
partnership between Haiti and the international community, 
based upon a mutual commitment to achieve a clearly defined 
set of objectives. If the Haitians and the international 
community can achieve this together, it could become a new 
paradigm for economic recovery. 
 
The donor conference is of fundamental importance for 
consolidating the fragile stability of Haiti. I wish to 
enlist your assistance in making a special effort to support 
Haiti through renewed technical and financial engagement so 
that Haiti is firmly on the path to lasting stability and 
sustainable development. To this end, I hope that you will be 
personally represented at a high level at the donor 
conference. 
 
Please accept, Excellency, the assurances of my highest 
consideration. 
 
Ban Ki-moon 
 
 
Rice