Our Chairman , Vanel Beuns, was very delighted to attend the World Summit on Sustainable Development partnership led by the Caribbean Community, Comision Centroamericana de Ambiente y Desarrollo, the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United States of America. The conference was held March 21-26, 2004 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Miami, Florida.

The Miami Conference was an important event in implementation of the partnership under the direction of an international Steering Committee representing governments, U.N. organizations, non-governmental organizations, universities and the private sector. Our Chairman was very pleased to join delegations representing other nations and international organizations who have come together to foster partnerships. Indeed, it was a very successful conference.

The meeting was designed to focus on four overlapping themes: 

a)      Integrated watershed management

b)      Marine ecosystem-based management

c)      Sustainable tourism

d)      Environmentally sound marine transportation

The conference was designed to create as many as partnerships opportunities as possible. This initiative was created to foster new partnerships and expand existing projects at the implementation level. Jacqueline E. Schafer, Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Bureau of Economic Growth, Agriculture and Trade, USAID, urged country Teams to pursue efforts to achieve broad consensus on a development agenda with simultaneous attention to economic, social, and environmental objectives.

As the future unfolds, the private sector should be involved not just as a donor, but as a “true” partner with a stake in the decision-making, implementation, and assessment processes. In addition, the sessions suggested that Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and governments need to create formal working relationships in which responsibilities and expectations are clearly defined and mutually understood.

CORCAH is moving forward.  We have confidence in the leadership team, but above all we have confidence in the Haitian people. They want to be successful. They are demonstrating that in so many ways.

Please allow us to share with you some pictures. They were taken during different important events.

CORCAH Chairman	Delegations at the University of Miami
Vanel and Dick Wilbur (Foreign Service Officer)	Plenary Session: Governance - The Keystone of Integrated Management
Session on Integrated Watershed Management	Lunch on Marine Ecosystem-based Management
Delegation of the Dominican Republic	Delegation of Haiti
Delegation of Haiti	Plenary Session on Environmentally Sound Marine Transportation
Final Session and Opportunity for new partnership Announcement	Sustainable Tourism Session
Session on Emerging Sustainable Tourism Partnerships	Vanel and the Chief of the Haitian Delegation
Vanel at the Best Practices Session for Donors and Recipients in the Caribbean.	Partnership Conference at Hyatt Regency Hotel Miami, Florida