WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – Haiti yesterday won $324  million in new commitments from donors for the next two years  to rebuild the poorest country in the Americas.

Earlier, Haitian Prime Minister Michele Duvivier  Pierre-Louis said the government needed $1 billion in  reconstruction aid. It was not immediately clear whether the  difference would be made up from some of the $1.5 billion  donors have pledged but Haiti hasn’t yet received.

“We are treading on very fragile ground,” Pierre-Louis told  a donor conference in Washington. “If no action is taken now  the consequences will be catastrophic.”

She urged donors to back Haiti’s two-year rebuilding plan,  which aims to create more than 150,000 jobs, encourage  private-sector investment and spur economic growth.

“I want to take back with me the commitments and hope we  are longing for in our quest for lasting development and  democracy,” said Pierre-Louis, who said she would tackle  corruption and improve transparency.

Haiti is the Western Hemisphere’s poorest country, with  nearly 1 million young people expected to enter the job market  over the next five years. Inter-American Development Bank officials said $41 million  of the new commitments would go toward filling a $125 million  budget shortfall.

In addition, Haiti is set to qualify for up to $1 billion  in debt relief from international agencies by mid-2009, which  will free up additional resources for government spending.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pledged $57  million, consisting of $2 million to help train the Haitian  police, $20 million for infrastructure jobs, $20 million to  help pay off debt and $15 million for agriculture.

“For all of us it is now a test of resolve and commitment.  This nation is on a brink of either moving forward with the  help of the collective community or falling further back,” said  Clinton, who plans to visit Haiti late this week.

“The trajectory of progress has been undermined by the  combined winds of hurricanes and the global economic recession.  Haiti is in danger of stalling.”

Meanwhile, the World Bank will give Haiti an additional $20  million in grant assistance, raising to $80 million in new  funding expected to be approved for Haiti over the next 2  years, World Bank President Robert Zoellick said.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Haiti’s recent  political stability and improvements in security, backed by  9,000 U.N. peacekeepers, gave reasons for optimism.

“Haiti is at a turning moment,” said Ban, who has made  Haiti’s reconstruction a priority and recently visited with  former U.S. President Bill Clinton.

“By acting now, we will protect the considerable investment  and progress we have made so far,” he said.