President and CEO

Samuel A. Worthington

Chair
Jo Luck
Heifer International
Vice Chair
Tsehaye Teferra
Ethiopian Community
March 17, 2010 Development Council
Treasurer
Kathy Spahn
The Honorable Patrick Leahy The Honorable Nita Lowey Helen Keller International
Chairman Chairwoman
State, Foreign Operations Subcommittee State, Foreign Operations Subcommittee Board of Directors
Sekyu Chang
U.S. Senate U.S. House of Representatives Korean American Sharing
Washington, DC 20510 Washington, DC 20515 Movement
Julius E. Coles
Africare
The Honorable Judd Gregg The Honorable Kay Granger Christopher Elias
Ranking Member Ranking Member PATH
Anne Goddard
State, Foreign Operations Subcommittee State, Foreign Operations Subcommittee ChildFund International
U.S. Senate U.S. House of Representatives Susan Hayes
Washington, DC 20510 Washington, DC 20515 Interplast
Benjamin K. Homan
Food for the Hungry
Dear Chairman Leahy, Chairwoman Lowey and Ranking Members Gregg and Granger: Melanie Macdonald
World Neighbors

In the wake of the devastating earthquake in Haiti and in light of ongoing humanitarian needs Mary Ellen McNish
American Friends Service
elsewhere in the world, InterAction urges that Congress approve supplemental funds to Committee
Steve Moseley
shore up the U.S. emergency response capacity throughout the world and begin to build back AED
a stronger and more self-sufficient Haiti. To this end, please find below detailed descriptions Carol Peasley
CEDPA
of the resources we recommend the administration request and Congress support in an Daniel Pellegrom
emergency supplemental measure. A summary is as follows: Pathfinder International
Jonathan Quick
Management Sciences for
$3.982 BILLION TOTAL SUPPLEMENTAL REQUEST: Health
Robert Radtke

Episcopal Relief and
$1.482 billion for Global Emergency Needs Development
 $684 million - International Disaster Assistance Farshad Rastegar
 $580 million - food assistance Relief International
Jonathan Reckford
 $165 million - Migration and Refugee Assistance Habitat for Humanity
 $53 million - Economic Support Fund William S. Reese
International Youth Foundation
 $2.5 billion for Haiti’s Long-Term Reconstruction Needs Carter Roberts
World Wildlife Fund

Global Emergency Needs Zainab Salbi

Women for Women International
Ron Sconyers
Immediate action is needed to ensure that critical programs meeting life-saving, emergency Physicians for Peace
Alison Smith
needs are adequately resourced. InterAction has previously advocated for full funding of InsideNGO
humanitarian accounts in the regular appropriations process. We applauded the Richard Stearns
World Vision
commitment from both the administration and Congress to do so in the FY2010 budget cycle.
However, when an unusually large, unexpected crisis – like the recent earthquake in Haiti –
demands a significant share of humanitarian assistance resources, immediate steps must be taken to shore up
funding so that response to other disasters does not suffer. Additionally, despite front funding accounts, needs in
many areas continue to outstrip the resources provided in the regular budget process. In light of these realities, we
recommend that $1.482 billion be appropriated to provide the resources that Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance
(OFDA) and other agencies need to continue humanitarian and other crisis response activities through to the end
of the fiscal year. Furthermore, it is important that supplemental funding not covered by the recommendations
outlined in this letter is also provided to other U.S. agencies that have responded in Haiti to avoid further transfers
from OFDA.

 $684 million for International Disaster Assistance – As what some describe as the worst disaster to have
ever struck the Western Hemisphere, the Haiti earthquake has demanded a tremendous share of
emergency response resources. OFDA has already committed over $334 million – approximately 39 percent
of its current enacted budget for FY2010. This dedication of resources has been a clear demonstration of
U.S. leadership and commitment to the response underway in the wake of the Haiti earthquake but needs
persist in other regions throughout the world. During his testimony before the House Foreign Affairs
Committee two weeks ago, USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah noted that programs funded by the OFDA
through the International Disaster Assistance (IDA) account will continue as normal but only through June of
this year. This makes the need for a supplemental funding bill exceedingly urgent. Furthermore, 37 percent
or $125.69 million of OFDA’s current commitment in Haiti has been transferred to other U.S. agencies to
fund their own respective responses there.1 This has been an unprecedented move that – coupled with the
size of the disaster in Haiti – has dramatically reduced OFDA’s resources. Immediate action is necessary to
replenish OFDA’s funding so that it can continue its response in other regions around the world and nimbly
respond should disaster strike elsewhere. This funding will:
 Replenish OFDA’s expenditures to date in Haiti so that its ongoing responses to other crises can be
maintained.
 Enable OFDA to continue its response in Haiti.
 Protect global disaster risk reduction activities.
 Prepare for unanticipated crises – including possible emergencies caused by the hurricane and rainy
seasons in Haiti – during the remainder of the fiscal year.

In addition to the tremendous pressure placed on the IDA account by emergency response needs in Haiti, there are
other global priorities that InterAction recommends be addressed by supplemental funding. These funding
recommendations include:

 $580 million for food assistance – This will help ensure that the U.S. is able to respond to global emergency
food appeals given the continued impact of the economic crises on vulnerable populations as well as the
emergency needs stemming from conflict, drought and other natural disasters. Additional funding would

1
According to its March 16, 2010 USAID OFDA situation report , OFDA has transferred $40.5 million to the Department of
Defense, $49 million to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and $36.19 million to the Department of Health and
Human Services.

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 help meet humanitarian food needs in countries such as Sudan, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Kenya.
Based on our projection of global emergency food assistance needs this year versus currently available U.S.
funding for these purposes, at least $580 million in additional funding is needed to meet the U.S. share of
expected 2010 global resources. Additional resources will also help ensure that emergency food assistance
needs in Haiti do not prevent OFDA and Food for Peace from meeting pressing needs elsewhere.

 $165 million for Migration and Refugee Assistance – This will help ensure at least level funding for
humanitarian programs in Africa, the Near East and South Asia in FY2010. Africa remains home to the largest
number of refugees living in the most difficult conditions. In the Near East, the U.S. must maintain full
support for displaced Iraqis for whom it bears a special responsibility. And in South Asia, there are significant
needs related to the crises in Afghanistan and Pakistan as well as ongoing needs in Sri Lanka and Nepal.
These supplemental funds will also allow the U.S. to begin to meet its share of the unmet needs identified
through UNHCR’s new Global Needs Assessment and reflected in its increased 2010 budget request. The
global economic crisis has exacerbated humanitarian challenges for refugees and host countries and
negatively impacted donor support. To forestall instability and mitigate protection risks, it is critical that the
U.S. maintain its leadership on these issues and increase its support for life-saving humanitarian assistance
in FY2010.

 $53 million for Economic Support Fund – This will help ensure that adequate resources are provided to
address the range of challenges confronting Sudan in 2010. With the elections and the referendum in sight,
conflict prevention and enhancing civilian protection are urgent priorities. These supplemental funds will:
 Provide resources to significantly increase conflict mitigation, stabilization and transition capacity
and activities in advance of southern Sudan’s possible independence. The capacity of the
Government of southern Sudan remains extremely low and will need to be strengthened.
 Establish a local peace and security framework to stabilize the situation on the ground in Darfur by
expanding coordination for civilian protection, investing in community mitigation activities and
promoting civil society efforts for the peace process.
 Increase the U.S. government’s operational capacity and programs in eastern Sudan to address
political tensions, unemployed youth, tribal tensions, and the lack of services.

Haiti’s Long-Term Reconstruction Needs

InterAction urges the administration to consider within its supplemental request funding to support long-term
reconstruction and longer-term needs in Haiti. A report on the full scope of these needs is currently being finalized
through the UN Development Program-led Post Disaster Needs Assessment which has been underway in Haiti; its
conclusions will bring greater clarity to the resources that will be required to address the country’s long-term
reconstruction needs. The March 31st Donor’s Conference on Haiti will provide a forum for the international
community to pledge resources to devote to the long-term effort. However, current assessments put reconstruction

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needs in the range of $5-14 billion.2 Given the geographic proximity of Haiti to the U.S. and the scale of its
emergency response, the U.S. could be expected to cover as much as 25-30 percent of reconstruction costs. Based
on these initial estimates, we recommend that no less than $2.5 billion be appropriated to contribute to long-term
reconstruction efforts in Haiti.

The January 12th earthquake in Haiti has taken a devastating toll on infrastructure and basic services. A sufficiently
resourced, highly coordinated reconstruction effort is necessary to begin to build back a better Haiti, a process that
should be focused on local capacity building toward a sustainable future for the Haitian people and their
government. Specific needs include but are not limited to:

Shelter – One of the greatest impacts of the earthquake for most Haitians has been the loss of adequate shelter. It is
estimated that well over 200,000 houses were severely damaged or destroyed and that nearly 1.2 million people
face displacement or homelessness due to the Haitian earthquake. Since shelter is critical to health, stable
employment, education, etc., other humanitarian investments will suffer diminishing returns, and long-term
recovery will be complicated and delayed without adequate shelter. Furthermore, shelter should be seen as a
central component in an overall recovery plan that fosters Haitian self-sufficiency and stimulates the local economy
through job creation and skills training. The development of a shelter reconstruction strategy and investment plan
for Haiti is essential to providing a framework for public and private shelter and related infrastructure investment.
With hurricane season nearing rapidly, constructing even the most rudimentary of storm-safe structures for a
significant portion of the population of Port-au-Prince is urgently needed. Tent cities will not suffice, even in a
relatively mild tropical storm.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) – Sanitation and hygiene continue to be a top priority in the continuing
emergency response phase in Haiti and will remain so during recovery and reconstruction – particularly now that the
rainy season has begun. Wherever houses or buildings are rebuilt, better, environmentally sound water and
sanitation systems should be an integral part of the planning. Specific attention will need to be paid to ensuring that
the planning of shelter sites is based on the availability of water and after proper assessments are made about the
quality of locations considered for housing. Sites would ideally be located as close to water sources as possible.
Additionally, proper mechanisms for solid waste disposal should be identified.

Child Protection – Prior to the earthquake, UNICEF estimated that about 380,000 children were missing one or both
parents and approximately 50,000 children were living in 600 orphanages. An as yet unknown number of other
children lost parents in the earthquake. Support is needed to ensure care and reunification services for
unaccompanied and separated children and to protect children from sexual abuse and exploitation, labor

2
In a paper released last month, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) estimated that the monetary damages caused by
the earthquake could range from $8.1-13.9 billion (http://idbdocs.iadb.org/wsdocs/getdocument.aspx?docnum=35074108);
additionally, Harvard economist Jeffrey Sachs has estimated that “basic urgent reconstruction costs” will total to approximately
“$5 billion to $10 billion over the next few years” (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-
dyn/content/article/2010/01/15/AR2010011502457.html).

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exploitation, and other threats to their well being. As reconstruction commences, the U.S. government should seek
to support the Government of Haiti in developing better systems, laws and policies to protect children from abuse,
exploitation and violence and ensuring that children are cared for, and should prioritize this as a part of the
reconstruction planning effort. Planning should recognize that support to families via livelihood support, health care,
and affordable education can help prevent the separation of children and their families now and in the future.

I respectfully request your consideration of this funding recommendation and thank you for your leadership. I look
forward to our continued partnership in development and humanitarian response efforts throughout the world.

Sincerely,

Samuel A. Worthington
President & CEO

CC:
Hon. Hillary R. Clinton, Secretary, Department of State
Hon. Rajiv Shah, Administrator, U.S. Agency for International Development
Hon. Daniel Inouye, Chairman, Senate Appropriations Committee
Hon. Thad Cochran, Ranking Member, Senate Appropriations Committee
Hon. David Obey, Chairman, House Appropriations Committee
Hon. Jerry Lewis, Ranking Member, House Appropriations Committee

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