Kingston -- Jan. 20, 2010 -- Former Jamaica Prime Minister, the Most Hon P.J. Patterson, has been selected as CARICOM's representative on a coordinating committee to organize an international conference on a strategic plan for Haiti's reconstruction.

Prime Bruce Golding made the announcement, Tuesday (January 19), in a statement to the House of Representatives updating Parliamentarians on the current situation in Haiti, and Jamaican and regional efforts to provide relief and plan a redevelopment programme for the earthquake torn country.

"After consulting with the Chairman of CARICOM, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerritt, as well as Prime Ministers Patrick Manning of Trinidad and Tobago, David Thompson of Barbados and Hubert Ingraham of the Bahamas, I was authorized to invite former Prime Minister P.J. Patterson to be CARICOM's representative on this Committee, and I am pleased that Mr. Patterson has accepted the assignment," Mr. Golding said.

Mr. Golding was reporting on his trip to Santo Domingo, Monday, for a meeting convened by the Government of Spain, in its capacity as head of the European Union, and chaired by President Leonel Fernandez of the Dominican Republic. He said that the meeting, which was also attended by Haitian President, Rene Preval, discussed coordinating emergency relief efforts and focused on the challenges for Haiti's recovery and rebuilding.

Mr. Golding informed the House that the meeting decided on a co-ordinating committee, which will organize an international conference, to be held in the Dominican Republic, on a Strategic Plan for the Reconstruction of Haiti. It will comprise representatives of Haiti, the Dominican Republic, USA, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, the United Nations, CARICOM, European Union (EU), the Organization of American States (OAS), the Rio Group and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

The Committee will hold its first meeting in Montreal, Canada next Monday, coinciding with a donors' conference on Haiti convened by the Government of Canada.

He said that the co-ordinating committee will designate a Working Group to prepare the draft Strategic Plan for the Reconstruction of Haiti. The plan will be informed by long-term objectives outlined in the UN Millenium Development Goals, Haiti's National Strategy for Growth and Poverty Reduction and the World Bank's Policy Paper, "Options and Opportunities for Haiti".