ACTION REQUEST ON COORDINATION OF CZECH AID TO

UNCLAS PRAGUE 000042 SIPDIS SENSITIVE PLEASE PASS HAITI EARTHQUAKE TASK FORCE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID AEMR ECON EFIN PGOV PHUM PREL EZ HA SUBJECT: ACTION REQUEST ON COORDINATION OF CZECH AID TO HAITI REF: A. STATE 6918 ¶B. PRAGUE 26 ¶1. (SBU) This is an action request. Please see paragraphs 2 and 3. ¶2. (SBU) We delivered ref A on January 25 to Czech Foreign Ministry Humanitarian Aid Department Officer Hana Volna, who is leading government coordination efforts on Haiti earthquake relief. She told us that she has distributed the information among relevant government contacts. She also reported that a two-member expert mission composed of one officer from the Czech Foreign Affairs Ministry and one officer from the Czech Development Agency will arrive in Santo Domingo on Thursday, January 28. They will spend Monday, February 1 through Wednesday, February 3 in Haiti. The purpose of their trip will be to identify small-scale projects well-suited for the early recovery and reconstruction assistance that the Czech Government has pledged. ¶3. (SBU) ACTION REQUEST: Volna has requested contact information for Americans in Haiti with whom the expert mission can meet. They would like to gain on-the-ground information about needs and coordination channels. Post requests names and contact information for individuals who could assist the Czech expert mission and serve as a point of coordination. ¶4. (U) In all, the Czech Government has promised CZK 20 million (USD 1.1 million) to the international Haiti relief effort. The first CZK 5 million (USD 276,243) has already been transferred to UNICEF for immediate assistance, and the remaining CZK 15 million (USD 828,729) will be administered through humanitarian channels yet to be determined. In addition, Czech non-government organizations have raised CZK 47 million ($2.6 million) according to media estimates. A team of medical workers financed by People in Need, a major Czech humanitarian organization, is scheduled to arrive in Haiti on January 26. Czech assistance will continue to increase as individual Czech cities and regions also continue to pledge money to Haiti relief and private contributions pour in every day. Thompson-Jones