Headlines:
| Haiti gets duty free concession under HOPE II Programme |
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| Tuesday, 20 October 2009 | |
 The United States (US) has
extended trade preferences to Haiti
after President Barack Obama certified that the country had fulfilled workers'
rights criteria. One influential US Congressman said it was a powerful sign that Haiti was open for business. The White House announced that Haiti will continue o benefit from a legislative programme called HOPE II which allows duty-free access to the US market for certain Haitian-made apparel and other articles, with the goals of fostering stability and economic development in Haiti. To receive the benefits, Haiti was required to establish an independent labour ombudsman's office and a program operated by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to assess compliance with core labour rights in Haitian factories. The country also had to agree to acquire local producers that wish to be eligible for duty free treatment under HOPE II to participate in the ILO programme and to develop a system to ensure such participation. President Obama has notified Confress that Haiti has met these requirements. Items covered by the 2008 law include certain brassieres, luggage headgear and sleepwear. Ron Kirk, US State Representative, said in a statement on Monday that the HOPE programme can help create jobs and improve conditions across Haiti. Charles Rangel, the Chairman of the White House Ways and Means Committee said Mr. Obama's certification that Haiti had met the requirements was another powerful signal that Haiti was ready for business. The US had a goods trade surplus with Haiti of US$494 million in 2008. |