The Interim Haiti Recovery Commission (IHRC) is the planning body for the Haitian recovery. To ensure that the reconstruction is Haitian-led, the U.S. Government coordinates all its recovery assistance through the IHRC.

The Government of Haiti created the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission to ensure the planning and implementation of the recovery efforts are Haitian-led; involve and coordinate the donor, civil society, and private sector communities, promote performance towards Haiti’s development goals; ensure accountability and transparency; and to communicate clear outputs desired by the Haitian people.

The IHRC is co-chaired by the Government of Haiti and the UN Special Envoy to Haiti. In addition to representatives of the Haitian and donor governments, the IHRC Board of Directors includes voting members from Haiti’s legislative branch, judicial branch, labor and business communities. All major projects, those worth 10 million U.S. dollars or more, must be approved by the IHRC Board of Directors.

The U.S. Government assists the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission by:

• Financially supporting its operational expenses, including the hiring of experts;
• Participating in its strategic planning work, especially in the IHRC’s top priority sectors: housing, debris removal, and health; and
• Supporting an international requirement, through UN Security Council Resolution 1892, that requires all UN member states, international and non-governmental organizations to coordinate with the IHRC.

The Interim Haiti Recovery Commission has approved over $330 million in projects funded by the U.S. government, including:

• Northern Industrial Park – to accommodate 18,000 new jobs in garment, textile and other fields by 2014;
• Port-au-Prince Neighborhoods – to upgrade and provide services to earthquake-affected neighborhoods, enabling displaced persons to return;
• Integration of Disabled Persons – to strengthen the Haitian institutions that rehabilitate and reintegrate disabled persons into Haitian society;
• Debris Removal – to use heavy equipment to clear rubble;
• Loan Guarantees – to encourage the development of more formal small and medium-sized enterprises; and
• Education – to contribute to the ongoing effort of the Government of Haiti and the Inter-American Development Bank in reforming the mostly-private Haitian education system.

For more information on the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission, visit its website: www.cirh.ht.