On the one hand, the the Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN) Humanitarian News and Analysis, a project of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, is reporting that the International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA) head, Ed Schenkenberg van Mierop is concerned that there is too much coordination going on, what with 60+ coordination meetings a week happening in Port-au-Prince (1), Emillie Parry of Refugees International (a member of the ICVA) is stating:

In the majority of camps there still has been little or no communication from humanitarian aid workers and the most of these spontaneous camps do not have latrines showers, or these fundamental items are insufficient, set up without consideration of basic safety and protection concerns. SPHERE standards are largely absent. Camp Coordination and Management, officially under the leadership of the International Organization for Migration, (IOM), is a confused and contradictory mess, with an overwhelming number of cases where local camp groups have no idea who the appointed camp management agency is, nor do many of the international agencies working in those camps (2).

So which is it? Over-coordination or under-coordination? This gets back to a major issue that was brought to the fore immediately following the earthquake – how to integrate the Haitian people in to the process of rebuilding. What do they want – now? Right now.

Just a few days ago, Paul Farmer (himself!) admitted that the Haitian people, themselves are not being brought into the efforts:

How are we making sure Haitian perspectives are involved? I don’t think we should give ourselves very high marks yet on that score. Because to do that, you’d have to go into the most heavily affected areas and make sure that the people living in camps, that their views are incorporated.

A lot more work needs to be done to incorporate the poor majority into the process. It’s a real process, the democratic engagement of people living in these camps, people who lost homes or never owned them. Incorporating them into the process is important and needs to be stepped up(3).

Okay, so when the earthquake happened, everyone and their mother was saying, “This is a great opportunity to ask the Haitian people what they want.” But now, nearly 9 months later, no one has asked?

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1. Analysis: NGO’s ‘to-do’ list for incoming UN relief coordinator. IRIN Humanitarian News and Analysis. 20 July 2010. http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportID=89892

2. Parry, Emmilie. Haiti: Emergency Paralysis. Refugees International, World Bridge Blog. 13 September 2010. http://www.refugeesinternational.org/blog/hiati-emergency-paralysis

3. Clibbon, Jennifer. Rebuilding Haiti, but ‘building back better’. An interview with Paul Farmer. CBC News, Q&A. 27 September 2010. http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/09/27/f-haiti-paul-farmer.html