WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – Brazil became the first contributor to a reconstruction fund for Haiti on Tuesday and World Bank President Robert Zoellick urged other donor nations to make good on their aid pledges to help the Caribbean country rebuild from a devastating earthquake in January.
Brazil, which commands a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Haiti, said it had paid $55 million into the World Bank-supervised fund. In March, international donors pledged $10 billion over a decade to help impoverished Haiti rebuild.
“Many promises have been made in support of Haiti’s reconstruction,” Zoellick said at a signing ceremony with Antonio de Aguiar Patriota, Brazil’s secretary general of the ministry of external relations.
“Turning these into reality for the Haitian people is urgent,” Zoellick said, noting that the approaching hurricane season would pose an added challenge for Haitians still living in makeshift shelters.
The Jan. 12 earthquake killed up to 300,000 people and caused damage estimated at up to 120 percent of Haiti’s gross domestic product.
