At the invitation of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, a workshop bringing together representatives of public institutions, of the main associations of the private sector, of the banking sector, of microfinance institutions and technical and financial partners was held on 24 and 25 May 2013, together with the Ministry of Planning and External Cooperation, in order to formulate a set of measures and actions likely to push the main sectors of the economic activity, to better contribute to the achievement of the goal of accelerated growth and poverty reduction.

This workshop was designed to be a place of reflection, dialogue and exchanges between partners on priority actions, to the support that the State will provide to private economic operators in order to strengthen existing firms, encourage the creation of new businesses, develop national added value and increase job creation and economic opportunities.

Sectoral tables were held with representatives of key sectors such as agriculture, livestock, fisheries and agro-industry, tourism and its related activities, light industries and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), the construction and public works, housing construction, building materials, energy and the environment.

Meanwhile, two round tables were devoted to issues related to financing of SMEs, on the one hand, to the vocational training and employment, on the other hand.

The measures that have been proposed have been discussed, hierarchical and prioritized both at the level of the different sectoral tables that in plenary, to retain a small number, which will be included in the draft Finance Act 2013-2014 submitted before June 30 to the Chamber of Deputies, which will make it mandatory [after ratification], because necessary for growth and employment.

These consultations of various partners fall within the scope of a coordinated approach to the preparation of the 2013-14 Budget and the 2014-2016 Three-Year Investment Program (PTI). The latter are mainly aimed to involve them more and ensure that public spending serve to strengthen our businesses and not to subsidize them, finance other economies in the region ; that procurement be published at the beginning of the fiscal year in order to make them more transparent and accessible to Haitian firms.

The partners have welcomed the initiative and pledged to facilitate the implementation of measures that have been adopted in order to positively contribute to the mobilization of resources for a better utilization of our potentialities, the increase in local production and sustainable job creation, in the respect of the preservation of the environment.

HL/ S/ HaitiLibre