Haiti: Live TV and radio debate to discuss impacts of the 12 January quake

Haiti - The government of Haiti, in partnership with IOM, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) and the working group on Communicating with Disaster Affected Communities (CDAC) are jointly organizing a live TV and radio talk show to discuss the many and complex impacts of the 12 January earthquake.

The programme will be broadcast nationwide by the independent station Radio Tele Ginen and on the Haiti National Television and Radio (RTNH) on Thursday 15 July 2010.

It will showcase progress made by the Government and the international community six months after the quake, the challenges facing Haiti and priorities for the next six months.

The debate will focus on the challenge outlined by United Nations special envoy for Haiti and Former US President Bill Clinton, to "build back better".

It will also tackle the frustrations of the 1.5 million displaced Haitians living in shelters, the priorities for the next six months and the long-term strategy and challenges in rebuilding Haiti. Among the guests participating will be people who have been living in shelters since the quake.

The debate will also include Government officials, representatives of international organizations and Haitian civil society. Invited guests will be allowed to ask questions to a group of seasoned panellists.

It is expected that the programme will be a good opportunity to connect humanitarian actors, the Government of Haiti and Haitian people across the country just after the six month anniversary of the earthquake which killed between 217,000 and 230,000 people according to Haitian government estimates. The earthquake injured a further 300,000 and left over 1.5 million homeless.

The TV/Radio Show seeks to engage Haitian people regarding various issues that are relevant to their daily lives and to facilitate a productive debate amongst all parties, recognizing that Haitian citizens' response to any change will be determined by the availability and quality of information. The debate also seeks to provide reliable information on the reconstruction process to reduce social tension that may result from misinformation and ignorance.

The aim of the organizers is to have the TV/Radio show heard/seen by as many Haitians as possible, especially the displaced population of 1.5 million. The programme will be broadcast live by Tele Ginen and RTNH. The choice of Tele Ginen was dictated by its nationwide rating and geographical coverage. Haitian broadcasters in addition to RTNH are being offered a live feed free of charge and are being encouraged to broadcast the programme live as well.

For more information contact:

Leonard Doyle
Haiti Media and Communications Officer
Tel: + 509 370 25066
E-mail: ldoyle@iom.int