Following the devastating earthquakes in Haiti, municipal organisations in Canada, France and the Netherlands have joined to provide funding and expertise for a municipal reconstruction programme. Jaap Breugem from VNG International in the Netherlands explains more.

The recent earthquake in Haiti is the worst natural disaster ever to hit the Americas. Reports indicate an unimaginable level of death and devastation. Over 250,000 are now feared dead, up to a million are homeless, and thousands have fled Port-au-Prince to the countryside.
This crisis calls for an unparalleled level of solidarity and collaboration from the international municipal community. In view of the extensive destruction and enormous needs for long-term assistance, a coordinated municipal reconstruction effort for Haiti is urgently needed to help restore the basic local services that have been destroyed by the earthquake. Expertise will be required in such areas as urban planning, public works, building inspection, architecture and engineering, housing, waste management, water and sanitation, public security, association capacity building, and intergovernmental relations. Special attention ought to be provided to local government in Haiti to deal with the complicated donor aid that might come through different channels to their communities.
The Canadian Federation of Municipalities (FCM), VNG International (The International Cooperation Agency of the Netherlands Association of Municipalities) and Cites Unies France (CUF) are in the process of forming an alliance in order to carry out a joint multi-year response. Total alliance programme budget is estimated to be 30 Million Euro. VNG International intends to add between 3 and 4 million Euro to the programme budget.  So far, Netherlands Municipalities have donated more than 1.5 million Euro (and expertise) to the VNG International Municipal Reconstruction Fund. In addition, municipalities contributed to the National Fund. VNG International and the National Fund are currently discussing a possible multi-million contribution of the National Fund to the Haiti Municipal Reconstruction Programme.  

A scoping mission to Haiti will be carried out in the next weeks. This mission is supposed to bring more clarity to what is left of local government, to requests with respect to reconstruction and to the existence and capabilities of local implementing organizations. A program design will be drafted immediately following the scoping mission. From day one, efforts will be coordinated with Haitian local governments, the Government of Haiti, and the international donor community to ensure suitability of program design and scope of interventions.

For more information, you can contact: Mr. Jaap Breugem, Senior Project Manager, VNG International. Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , phone: +31-(0)70-373 8658