Participants discussed the project's social and environmental impacts, mitigation measures
LIMONADE, Haiti – Representatives of local communities participated in a workshop to discuss the potential social and environmental impacts of the Caracol Industrial Park, a project led by the Haitian government and financed by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the United States government.
The workshop took place July 16–17 at the King Henri Christophe campus of the Haiti State University, a new facility donated by the Dominican Republic that is located near the site of the industrial park, which is under construction. Some 40 participants attended, including delegates from Haitian government agencies, mayors from towns in the country’s northern departments, representatives from regional chambers of commerce and university authorities.
The event was organized by the IDB, in consultation with the Haitian Ministry of Economy and Finance's Technical Execution Unit (UTE), which is in charge of the industrial park project, and the Executive Secretariat of the Inter-Ministerial Committee for Territorial Planning (CIAT), a body of the Haitian Prime Minister's Office.
During the workshop the UTE provided an update on the construction of the industrial park, which broke ground last November. The facility's anchor tenant, a Korean garment and textile manufacturer, already is hiring and training workers and plans to start operations later this year. A Haitian paint maker, the park’s second tenant, also expects to start production this year.
UTE officials also discussed measures being taken to prevent or mitigate environmental and social pressures stemming from the development of the industrial park, which is being built on a 240-hectare plot of state-owned land in one of the poorest areas of Haiti. They also outlined measures being taken to prevent or mitigate negative effects of the project.CIAT officials made a presentation on the management of potential risks for the region's development.
Specialists from the IDB's Environmental and Social Safeguards Unit outlined their evaluation of the potential cumulative impacts of the project.The presentations were followed by breakout sessions where participants focused on specific aspects of the project, including surface and underground water usage; aquatic habitats such as the Caracol Bay and its mangrove area; agriculture, reforestation and watershed management; and social dimensions such as an acceleration of urbanization in surrounding communities.
During those sessions local representatives expressed their views and concerns about the project to central government officials. Among the issues raised was how to deal with a potential increase in population drawn by jobs at the industrial park.
Employment at Caracol is likely to grow gradually, initially drawing workers from nearby towns and villages. But over the course of seven years the industrial park could host factories requiring as many as 37,000 workers.
Workers' salaries alone are expected to inject tens of millions of dollars a year into northern Haiti's economy. At the same time, the central government and local communities will face increased demands for better services, ranging from education to housing, transportation, health and water and sanitation.
As part of the industrial park project, the IDB and the U.S. government are financing the preparation of a regional master plan for northern Haiti. The IDB plans to assist by financing the construction of a wastewater treatment plant at the industrial park, developing new housing communities and backing a project to protect the Caracol Bay.
The IDB is Haiti's leading multilateral donor. Since the 2010 earthquake it has approved $546 million in new grants and disbursed more than $407 million to help the Haitian government make investments in agriculture, education, energy, transportation, water and sanitation, and private sector development.