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Civil Society Forum: Haiti response shows need for collaboration

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Large parts of Haiti's capital of Port-au-Prince have been destroyed by a 7.3 magnitude earthquake on 12 January. Photo taken on 15 January 2010.. Photo: IFRC/Eric Quintero

A panel on strengthening partnerships that took place earlier this week at the Civil Society Policy Forum during the 2010 Spring Meetings looked at how partnerships were integral to the response after the earthquake in Haiti.

The panel, which featured speakers from the World Bank, USAID, IMF, Save the Children, and the German Marshall Fund, explored the ways various organizations came together to ensure effective post-disaster revitalization and development outcomes after the disaster in Haiti.

One such example of collaboration and partnership was in the sharing of Bank geo-spatial data with community groups like Random Hacks of Kindness and CrisisCamp. (More on the Bank's new open data initiative here.)

A poor neighbourhood shows the damage after an earthquake measuring 7 plus on the Richter scale rocked Port au Prince Haiti just before 5 pm yesterday, January 12, 2010.

At a press briefing on Haiti reconstruction at the Spring Meetings earlier today, the Bank introduced public health specialist Alexandre Abrantes as the new Special Envoy to Haiti. In his new role, Dr. Abrantes will work closely with Haiti country manager Eustache Ouayoro on the Bank's projects and reconstruction efforts, as well as coordinate collaboration between the various organizations working with the Bank in the country.

This year's Civil Society Policy Forum has shown an increased interest in collaboration and partnerships with the Bank. We had the chance to talk to Jonathan White from the German Marshall Fund after the panel and hear his thoughts on the future of multilateral organizations like the Bank in the years ahead:

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(Photos by IFRC and UNDP.)


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