POSTCARD FROM GONAIVES

UNCLAS PORT AU PRINCE 001174

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR WHA/EX AND WHA/CAR
S/CRS
SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD
STATE PASS AID FOR LAC/CAR
INR/IAA
WHA/EX PLEASE PASS USOAS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM HA
SUBJECT: POSTCARD FROM GONAIVES


1. Summary. Gonaives, the capital city of Haiti's
Artibonite department, is Haiti's third largest city with a
population of roughly 100,000. During a May 29-31 trip,
Poloff found the city still coping with the aftermath of
flooding in 2004. Gonaives, in which the GoH has a very weak
presence, lacks infrastructure, basic services, and economic
vitality. Civil society representatives emphasized that U.S.
technical assistance was needed in lieu of brick and mortar
projects. End summary.


2. Since Gonaives has no airport, Poloff traveled to
Gonaives by vehicle. The 115 mile drive from Port-au-Prince
to Gonaives took approximately three and a half hours due to
poor road conditions. The section of National Highway One
between Saint Marc and Gonaives is especially challenging.
Long stretches are not paved at all while car-sized potholes
scar the paved sections. The road between Saint Marc and
Gonaives also tends to flood quickly during the rainy season.
The GoH is attempting to address the flooding problem in the
valley between Saint Marc and Gonaives by construction of an
(unfinished) elevated roadway.


3. Drainage and electricity are Gonaives' most visible
problems. As in the case for this visit, even light rains
caused the city streets to flood, giving the city the
appearance that it never fully recovered from the floods of
2004 despite over $40 million in humanitarian and other
assistance from the USG and project assistance from other
donors. There was standing water and mud in many of the
streets. Some streets were impassable due to mud and debris.
Not only were Gonaives' streets flooded, so were many of the
buildings. In one building, Poloff could observe from the
second floor balcony fish swimming in the flooded courtyard
below. Residents told Poloff that a light rain was the
source of the water and mud on the streets.


4. Gonaives receives on average, two hours of electricity
per day from the public utility. Venezuela has proposed
building a 15 megawatt plant, though according to Mayor
Stephen Moise, Gonaives only needs between 6-8 megawatts of
electricity. There are no other plans to provide
electricity to Gonaives if the Venezuelans fail to honor
their commitment. With virtually no GoH or municipal
services available, Gonaives depends on NGOs, including
MINUSTAH, for basic services such as health care, education,
water, food distribution, and development project management.


5. Violence-plagued Gonaives has only two police stations
and no prisons. Deputy Commissaire Ernst Dorfeuille noted
that his 26 police officers and 15 riot police officers were
straining to meet the demands of the latest crackdown on the
gangs, though he readily admitted to MINUSTAH's helpfulness.
The HNP's having only two patrol vehicles compounded the
strain on the officers.


6. Gonaives is devoid of signs of economic vitality. The
city has three hotels, but apparently no other storefront
enterprises or restaurants. Commerce transpires outside
house fronts or intermittently on the street. The
International Organization for Migration is currently
rehabilitating a central marketplace by the waterfront, which
could facilitate the formation of a central shopping district
once it is completed. Poloff did observe agricultural
activity outside the city limits.


7. Comment. Even though Gonaives faces severe developmental
challenges, Poloff's interlocutors hope that Gonaives will
improve with technical, rather than financial, assistance.
Specifically, civil society representatives noted that an
agricultural extension and vocational/technical training
would benefit the residents of Gonaives and the surrounding
areas most. These persons also believed that the economic
development that Gonaives needs should focus on developing
project/business management skills rather than trying to make
Gonaives industrially competitive. End comment.
SANDERSON