[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 34 (Monday, March 11, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1668-S1669]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RECOGNIZING THE THIRD ANNIVERSARY OF THE HAITI EARTHQUAKE
Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate
proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 15, S. Res. 12.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
The bill clerk read as follows:
A resolution (S. Res. 12) recognizing the third anniversary
of the tragic earthquake in Haiti on January 12, 2010,
honoring those who lost their lives in that earthquake, and
expressing continued solidarity with the people of Haiti.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the
resolution, which had been reported from the Committee on Foreign
Relations, with an amendment and an amendment to the preamble, as
follows:
Whereas hundreds of thousands of people as a result of the
earthquake will have some form of a long term disability, in
addition to approximately 800,000 persons with disabilities
living in Haiti;
its Office of the Secretary of State for the Integration of
Persons with Disabilities, and civil society, and with the
support of the private sector;
Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the
committee-reported amendment be agreed to; the resolution, as amended,
be agreed to; the committee-reported amendment to the preamble be
agreed to; the preamble, as amended, be agreed to; and that the motions
to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, with no
intervening action or debate.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The committee-reported amendment was agreed to.
The resolution (S. Res. 12), as amended, was agreed to.
The committee-reported amendment to the preamble was agreed to.
The preamble, as amended, was agreed to.
The resolution, as amended, with its preamble, as amended, reads as
follows:
S. Res. 12
Whereas, on January 12, 2010, an earthquake measuring 7.0
on the Richter scale struck the country of Haiti, followed by
59 aftershocks measuring 4.5 or greater;
Whereas more than 220,000 people died as a result of the
earthquake, more than 300,000 people were injured, and more
than 3,000,000 people were directly affected by the disaster;
Whereas the total cost in terms of human lives,
infrastructure damage, and economic losses makes the
earthquake one of the worst urban disasters in modern
history;
Whereas President Barack Obama vowed the ``unwavering
support'' of the United States Government and pledged a
``swift, coordinated, and aggressive effort to save lives and
support the recovery in Haiti'';
Whereas the initial emergency response of the men and women
of the United States Government, led by the United States
Agency for International Development and United States
Southern Command, was swift and resolute;
Whereas the Haitian diaspora, other individuals,
businesses, and philanthropic organizations throughout the
United States and the international community overwhelmingly
responded to the crisis by sending emergency relief supplies
and significant financial contributions;
Whereas the Senate passed 3 successive resolutions
expressing its profound sympathy and unwavering support for
the people of Haiti and urging all nations to assist the
people of Haiti with their long-term needs;
Whereas, 3 years later, significant challenges still remain
in Haiti as it works to recover and rebuild;
Whereas, according to the International Organization for
Migration, approximately 360,000 people remain in spontaneous
and organized camps in Haiti and hundreds of thousands of
poor people in Haiti continue to live in non-permanent
housing, conditions that make them vulnerable to future
natural disasters;
Whereas hundreds of thousands of people as a result of the
earthquake will have some form of a long term disability, in
addition to approximately 800,000 persons with disabilities
living in Haiti;
[[Page S1669]]
Whereas, according to an independent panel investigation by
the United Nations, on October 19, 2010, an imported strain
of cholera was detected in the Lower Artibonite region of
Haiti;
Whereas, according to the Haitian Ministry of Public Health
and Population, as of December 31, 2012, more than 7,900
people in Haiti have died from cholera and more than 635,000
have been infected with the disease since the earthquake on
January 12, 2010;
Whereas the United Nations Secretary-General announced a
plan to eliminate cholera from the island of Hispaniola
through enhanced treatment and prevention efforts and through
the development of clean water and sanitation infrastructure
that is accessible to all people in Haiti;
Whereas gender-based violence against women and girls in
Haiti continues to be a chronic problem, and judicial
barriers that have prevented victims from finding redress
remain a significant issue of concern;
Whereas, in 2012 alone, Haiti faced a long drought period
and 2 major tropical storms that destroyed 70 percent of
agricultural crops in Haiti, impacting the lives of millions
of people in Haiti facing food insecurity and further
crippling the economy of Haiti;
Whereas the sustained assistance to Haiti from the United
States and the international community bolsters the efforts
of the Government of Haiti to confront these challenges; and
Whereas, since the earthquake on January 12, 2010, the
people of Haiti have demonstrated unwavering resilience,
dignity, and courage: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) mourns the loss of lives as a result of the tragic
earthquake in Haiti on January 12, 2010, and the subsequent
cholera epidemic;
(2) honors the sacrifice made by the men and women of the
Government of Haiti, civil society, the United States
Government, the United Nations, and the international
community in their response to those affected by the
calamity;
(3) reaffirms its solidarity with the Government and people
of Haiti as they work to rebuild their country and
livelihoods;
(4) supports the long-term reconstruction efforts of the
United States Government to improve housing, energy, job
creation, food security, health care, education, governance,
and rule of law in Haiti in full cooperation with the
Government of Haiti, its Office of the Secretary of State for
the Integration of Persons with Disabilities, and civil
society, and with the support of the private sector;
(5) urges the President and the international community to
continue--
(A) to focus assistance on increasing the capacity of the
public sector of Haiti to sustainably provide services to the
people of Haiti;
(B) to develop, improve, and increase communication and
participation to more substantially involve civil society in
Haiti and the Haitian diaspora at all stages of the post-
earthquake response;
(C) to provide programs that protect and involve vulnerable
populations, including internally displaced persons,
children, women and girls, and persons with disabilities; and
(D) to work to enhance the ability of the Government of
Haiti, at all stages of the democratic process, to improve
economic development, attract private sector investment,
pursue judicial reform, enhance the rule of law, reduce
incidences of gender-based violence, improve water and
sanitation systems, develop a civil registry, and reform land
tenure policies;
(6) welcomes evidence of progress in building a better
future for Haiti, including--
(A) significant improvements in agricultural yields via the
Feed the Future initiative;
(B) the opening of the Caracol Industrial Park in northern
Haiti, which is projected to create approximately 20,000 jobs
by 2016;
(C) programs to support economic opportunities for women
and survivors of sexual violence through microcredit, short
term jobs programs and leadership training, health services,
and reintegration and repatriation assistance to Haitian
migrants;
(D) the reduction of the cholera mortality rate to lower
than one percent, and the provision of sophisticated HIV and
AIDS prevention and treatment services; and
(E) the recruitment, training, and provisioning of new
officers for the Haitian National Police; and
(7) urges the President--
(A) to continue reconstruction and development efforts,
closely coordinated with the Government of Haiti, the Haitian
diaspora, and international actors who share in the goal of a
better future for Haiti;
(B) to ensure close monitoring of the implementation of aid
programs funded by the United States Government; and
(C) to work with the Government of Haiti and private
landowners to prevent the forced eviction of internally
displaced people and communities and to provide sustainable
and safe housing solutions for the most vulnerable people in
Haiti.
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