Current Status of IDB Loans to Haiti

Of the four loans (health, water and sanitation, education, and rural roads), the bank has begun making "special disbursement" for the health, education, and water and sanitation loans. Special disbursements go directly to the Government of Haiti to help them meet the preconditions for the disbursements of the actual program loans. These "special disbursement" total $300,000 for the health and education loans and $200,000 for the water and sanitation loan. This money does not go to actual programs, but rather is a step in the process of receiving the first disbursements for the education and health loans (e.g. consultants and experts). The IDB has also indicated that an additional $1 million is disbursing for the rural road loan but were unable to specify the date it will be disbursing nor whether it will be a "special disbursement" or actual program loan.

New Loans for Haiti

The IDB has also approved four new loans for Haiti, totaling $201.9 million:

1. Basic Infrastructure: $70 million

2. Local Development: $65 million

3. Agricultural Intensification Program: $41.9 million

4. Public Finance Reform: $25 million

These have all been ratified by the Haitian Government and the IDB indicated that $10 million will be disbursed from the Public Finance Reform loan by the end of 2003. However, the remaining money could take up to one year to be disbursed.

Problem

The IDB continues to provide very limited information about the status of disbursements, where these disbursements will go and what obstacles stand in the way of the remaining disbursements. This shields them from criticism to some degree because it allows them to announce the progress they are making without giving the public complete information that can be used to push for greater flexibility and speed in this cumbersome and bureaucratic process.