HAITIAN APPEAL

Dear Friend

We the undersigned call on the UK Prime Minister, MPs and MEPs to support the Haitian organisations in practical ways such as financial aid, food and clothing as well as support the call for:

1. A comprehensive agrarian reform to include programmes to improve irrigation and water conservation, and a serious commitment to land tenure issues, and various other aspects of agrarian reform that are badly under-resourced; underdeveloped that needs to be seriously reformed and funded which will help towards the restoration of the country.

2. Coherent plans to clearly define zones for agriculture, for construction, for exploitation of the country's tree cover, and for forest conservation, as called for by Haiti's civil society organisations, and increase the total allocation for the environment which is presently just 4\% of the total Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) budget;

3. Serious commitment to develop alternative sources of energy in order to cover the environmental issues, which is at the core of most of the countrys health problems. The tree cutting without replacement is another factor that lead to the floods and caused land devastation over the country. It is therefore required that land measures are to be put in place to safeguard the environment and to ensure safe sources of energies are installed.


4. A plan for a comprehensive agrarian reform to achieve food security by developing rural areas and introducing guide lines to protect environments which will help towards reducing poverty. The World Food Programme director for the region Pedro Medrano said:

Haiti needs more help to feed its poor and appealed for 27 million in new funding to counter food prices that have risen sharply around the world.

5. However until there is a right to food in Haiti and a right to land and genuine agrarian reforms towards a prioritization of food production at local and national level markets. Haiti will have to rely on outside agencies to meet its food requirements to feed its poor.

We are concerned that whilst the world news primarily focuses on the credit crunch and tumbling shares, 100,000s of people in Haiti are suffering the aftermath of catastrophic floods caused by a series of hurricanes that have left large parts of the country devastated.

We also strongly request more public awareness of the need to help the people of Haiti and for discounted freight transportation fees for humanitarian appeals.

For further information contact:
Shanice Duffus (Starlight Music): 07961 909 595 - starlightmusic21@yahoo.co.uk

Or write to: Staright Music 44-46 Offley Road, London, SW9 OLS