10 Years Later, GRAHN-Switzerland Recalls the Controversies Resulting from the Catastrophic 2010 Haitian Earthquake

On Sunday, January 12, GRAHN-Switzerland President Dodly Alexandre moderated a discussion marking the 10th Anniversary of the 2010 Haitian Earthquake which killed more the 200,000 people and decimated the country’s fragile economic and physical infrastructure.  The guest  discussants were GRAND-Monde Vice-President Jean-Marie Bourjolly, professor at Quebec University in Montreal and Brazilian Professor Ricardo Seitenfus, the noted author and Ex-Chief of the Organization   of American States (OAS) in Haiti.

The event, held at the Maison des Associations in Geneva, saw a      diverse audience listening attentively while Professors Seitenfus and Bourjolly, on SKYPE from Brazil and Canada, respectively, dissected the relief and reconstruction efforts following the 2010 quake. They gave their views on squandered relief and reconstruction efforts, critiques   of UN agencies and NGOs which led post-quake relief and development initiatives, and government corruption.

After a brief series of announcements and refreshments, a spirited    question and answer period followed and a number of critical issues were posed to each scholar by audience members, among them the work of the Clinton Foundation in Haiti and that a deadly cholera     epidemic was largely created by UN staff. The event was co-sponsored by the African People’s University of Switzerland (UPAF) in Geneva.