Washington, DC— International relief and development agency Oxfam America welcomed today’s introduction of the “Renewing Hope for Haiti” bill by Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Bill Nelson (D-FL), which will extend existing US trade preference programs with Haiti. In response, Raymond C. Offenheiser, President of Oxfam America, made the following statement:
“While Haitians still need help on water, food, shelter and other emergency needs, we also have to help them rebuild their lives.
“We applaud Senators Wyden and Nelson for introducing a bill that will help contribute to Haiti’s recovery by facilitating access of Haiti’s exports to the US market over the long term, and we urge Congress to move quickly to pass it.
“Haiti was facing extreme poverty before the earthquake, with more than 85% of the population struggling to survive on just two dollars a day. Trade can be part of the recovery by helping to spur economic growth.
“Haiti’s apparel assembly had been the country’s core export industry and a source of fairly quick employment growth in the formal sector, providing some 25,000 jobs or 8% of the country’s formal sector employment before the devastating earthquake. Because the US is the primary market for Haitian apparel exports, this bill will help generate much-needed jobs for Haitians by extending the favorable market-access rules granted to Haiti through existing trade preference programs.
“One of these programs, the Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act (CBTPA), would otherwise expire in September, a reality that is deterring investments and importers in the region. This bill will provide the certainty that businesses need to make the necessary investments and plans by extending CBTPA as well as the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement Act (HOPE).
“Haiti needs enormous amounts of foreign assistance to not only rebuild but to address the country’s huge development challenges. The people of Haiti must have the central role in the process of reconstruction, and generous US foreign aid is needed. But we can also help the people of Haiti through trade policies that enable them to help themselves, by expanding exports to their largest market over the long term. This bill will help Haiti on its road to recovery and development.”
