Berkeley City Council Calls for Reconstruction and Debt Relief in Haiti
Feb. 23: After the Berkeley City Council heard Attorney Barbara Rhine, Sister Stella Goodpasture, MCLI's Ann Fagan Ginger, and others, they unanimously approved the resolution submitted by the Berkeley Peace & Justice Commission.
The text of the resolution follows:
Berkeley City Council Resolution on Haiti Humanitarian Earthquake Relief, Reconstruction and Return of Former Pres. Aristide
WHEREAS, the Peace and Justice Commission advises the City Council on all matters relating to the City of Berkeley's role in issues of peace and social justice (Berkeley Municipal Code (BMC) Section 3.69.070); and
WHEREAS, the Berkeley City Council passed a resolution in Solidarity with the People of Haiti on May 20, 2008; and
WHEREAS, President Obama has promised that "[t]he people of Haiti will have the full support of the United States in the urgent effort to rescue those trapped beneath the rubble, and to deliver the humanitarian relief”; and
WHEREAS, as Haitian families search for survivors and relief rolls in, Haiti is still staggering under $1 billion in old international debts racked up by unscrupulous lenders and unelected governments of the past; and
WHEREAS, a majority of Haitians continues to demand the immediate return of former President Jean Bertrand Aristide to Haiti; and
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Peace and Justice Commission recommends that the Council of the City of Berkeley urge the Obama Administration to guarantee the following:
• A public commitment to prioritize the distribution of vital aid and supplies and personnel, including food, water, shelter, and medical supplies, equipment and personnel to centers around the affected areas where people have gathered for refuge
• A public commitment to deliver water, food, and other urgently needed supplies to rural areas and other population centers that have seen little or no, or greatly delayed aid
• A public commitment to ensure that all survivors in Haiti receive the necessities: clean water, food, shelter, and medical care, and that all resources received will be immediately deployed for this purpose in order to prevent unnecessary deaths from dehydration, infection and starvation in the aftermath of this disaster
• A public commitment to work with all government and civil society organizations that are delivering these needed goods and services. Haitians must be free to coordinate and lead the relief efforts and the long-term rebuilding of their country, including hiring Haitian workers at a living wage, a shift in development strategies that includes a commitment to food sovereignty for Haiti and, the democratization of the food system in favor of the poor.[...]
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Berkeley ask President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to support the will of the Haitian people in facilitating the return of former president Jean Bertrand Aristide who has asked to play a humanitarian role; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Berkeley requests the Clerk of the City of Berkeley to send the following letter to the G7 Country Finance Ministers, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the International Development Bank: "In the wake of the earthquake in Haiti, we call on you to secure the immediate cancellation of Haiti’s external debt and ensure that any emergency earthquake assistance is provided in the form of grants, not debt-incurring loans.
Why this Resolution?
"As the country starts to rebuild, it is essential that its people are not saddled with a debt burden that will simply deepen poverty for generations."
Barbara Rhine said about what she saw in Haiti during and after the earthquake. Ann Ginger urged the Council to act to change U.S. practices after the disasters in New Orleans and Haiti to benefit the people of Berkeley after its expected earthquake.
Copies of the resolution are to be sent to Pres. Obama, Sec. of State Clinton, Sens. Boxer and Feinstein, Rep. Barbara Lee, and U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights.