Haiti is taking steps to revitalize its nuclear cooperation with the IAEA in fields of nuclear science and technology. One main focus is nutrition and health, with the country set to launch a technical cooperation project later this year.
The steps reflect a turnaround in Haiti, one of the poorest countries in the Latin American & Caribbean region and the only one still classified as a least developing country (LDC). It recently paid nearly US $330,000 in arrears to the IAEA regular budget, placing its membership in good standing.
In a message to the IAEA, Mr. Azad Belford, Director, Department for International Organizatrions at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, said Haiti has decided to pay its arrears to underscore its recognition of the importance of the Agency´s programme in the field of development and the work it is doing in the country. "We hope in the near future that Haiti could be a living example of what the Agency can do in the field of development in general and in the field of technical assistance for the LDC in particular", he said.
Haiti has since 2002 stepped up its commitment to technical cooperation with the IAEA. It now receives support mainly for manpower development in the fields of energy planning, radiotherapy, productivity of crops and radiation protection. In addition, in 2007 the country will start technical cooperation projects to evaluate the effectiveness of nutrition intervention programmes in children and for investigating aquifers in the Plaine du Cul-du-Sac as well as the pollution of the coastal zone in Gonaives.