Resilience and Sustainable Development: What can we learn from Haiti?

Haiti presents a challenging case of building resilience towards sustainable development. Haiti’s case will show that building resilience and sustainable development demands not just bouncing back from shocks but fostering sustainable social and environmental development.

This reflection is based on the first chapter of the book, Disaster by Choice, by Ilan Kelman . The book's first sentence sets it all – disasters are not natural. In this reflection, we highlight why Haiti, though highly exposed to hazards like earthquakes and tropical cyclones, owes its high vulnerability largely to human-induced conditions worsened by its colonial history, political instability, poverty, and inadequate infrastructure. These conditions provide a perfect formula that turns natural hazards into major disasters. To attain resilience, Haiti needs an overhaul of its social and economic structures and conditions, otherwise, it will remain fragile to the impacts of shocks and disruptions.

The Present-Day Haiti

Haiti, one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere, has survived a multitude of socio-economic challenges from its history of colonization and slavery up to the present day. These also include political instability, high poverty rates, limited access to healthcare services and education, and susceptibility to various natural hazards (Clermont, et al, 2011, p. 7-8; World Bank, 2021). In the early part of the 21st century, the nation experienced new challenges, due to political turmoil and the consequences of a devastating earthquake, escalating an already delicate socio-economic situation (Kelman, 2022; Labrador & Roy, 2022). Even the United Nations Development Programme (2021) has agreed that tackling these problems demands not only immediate relief efforts but also continuing international collaboration and investments in infrastructure, education, and governance to foster sustained socioeconomic development.

Exploring an Adaptive Cycle of Resilience for Haiti

Resilience in the context of Haiti should be understood not only as the ability of the country and its people to withstand and recover from a range of challenges and adversities, but it should also be persistent (Comfort, 2010, p. 7-9; Pisano, 2012, p. 9). Considering the fragile social and political system in Haiti, resilience should be pursued hand-in-hand along its development agenda.

Haiti, from the lens of Holling and Gunderson's Adaptive Cycle of Resilience, offers a narrative of building resilience through the phases of exploitation, conservation, release, and reorganization (Pendall, et al., 2010, p.76-78). Known as Saint-Domingue from its French colonial era, Haiti's initial growth and progress were dominated by its exports of sugar, cotton, coffee, logwoods, and indigo (Geggus, 2017, p. 322; Henochsberg, 2016, p. 18-22). However, Henochsberg (2016, p. 6-9) also recognized that this period of prosperity was a double-edged sword, as it resulted in slavery, oppression of indigenous communities, and the overuse of natural resources. This triggered economic inequality and environmental degradation that contributed to social vulnerability. The conservation phase comes with the Haitian Revolution followed by years of determined efforts to rebuild the nation despite the remnants of oppression, debts, and reparations (Labrador & Roy, 2022). Throughout the 20th century, Haiti persevered to maintain stability and the status quo despite political and social unrest and numerous attempts of coups. The devastating earthquake in January 2010, marked a release phase, where Haiti confronted a catastrophic disruption that overwhelmed its system and capacity. In the aftermath, Haiti saw reorganization when international aid and technical support poured in to rebuild communities with greater resilience. Now, Haiti experiences another exploitation as it adapts its policies towards sustainable resource management, and improving its infrastructure.

The Pursuit for Resilience and Sustainable Development in Haiti

Haiti's pursuit of societal resilience is complex and is still ongoing, facing challenges like political instability and persistent poverty demanding sustained efforts from local and international aid partners. However, the case of Haiti also underscores the critical connection between resilience and sustainable development.

The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (2015) such as poverty reduction, good health, quality education, and sustainable communities, are essential in improving people's well-being and capabilities in Haiti. Proper investment in these areas paves the way to building resilience against shocks that may affect people, prosperity, and the planet (UNU, 2023). For instance, eradicating poverty and improving the economic conditions of Haitian communities improves the vulnerability of communities to social shocks. Improving access to water, sanitation, and public health can help communities from the effects of environmental shocks. Moreover, as a country vulnerable to climate change and disasters, Haiti can benefit from accelerated climate action.

Conclusion

Haiti's experience reminds us that any social, environmental, or economic shock can disrupt the development process, underscoring the importance of mainstreaming resilience into development strategies. The impact of these in the societal system has long-lasting implications for long-term development. They can shatter development efforts and drain the economic resources of communities by exacerbating poverty, disrupting economic activities, and delivery of basic services.?

Haiti has long experienced shocks throughout its history. Haiti may have rebuilt from the remnants of colonization and the rubbles of a devastating earthquake. However, the impact of these persists as evident in present-day Haiti. This reminds us that building resilience is not just about bouncing back from shocks but a persistent effort to invest in sustainable development. More importantly, it reminds us that strengthening resilience is not only a function of physical hazards but more so of the social and economic structures and conditions that empower communities to adapt, recover, and thrive. #

References

Clermont, C., Sanderson, D., Sharma, A., & Spraos, H. (2011). Urban disasters – lessons from Haiti Report for the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC). https://doi.org/10.13140/2.1.3562.4962

Comfort, L. K., Boin, A., & Demchak, C. C. (Eds.). (2010). Designing resilience: Preparing for extreme events. University of Pittsburgh Press.

Geggus, D. (2017). Slavery and the Haitian Revolution. In D. Eltis, D. Richardson, S. Drescher, & S. L. Engerman (Eds.), The Cambridge World History of Slavery: Volume 4: AD 1804–AD 2016 (Vol. 4, pp. 321–343). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781139046176.015

Henochsberg, S. (2016). Public debt and slavery: The case of Haiti (1760-1915). Paris School of Economics.

Kelman, I. (2022). Disaster by choice: How Our Actions Turn Natural Hazards Into Catastrophes. Oxford University Press, United Kingdom.

Labrador, R.C. & Roy, D. (2022) Haiti’s Troubled Path to Development. Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved September 2, 2023, from https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/haitis-troubled-path-development

Migrant Vulnerability and Structural Inequalities: The Case of Haiti. (2023, September 6). United Nations University. https://unu.edu/cpr/blog-post/migrant-vulnerability-and-structural-inequalities-case-haiti

Pendall, R., Foster, K. A., & Cowell, M. (2010). Resilience and regions: building understanding of the metaphor. Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, 3(1), 71-84.

Pisano, U. (2012). Resilience and Sustainable Development: Theory of resilience, systems thinking and adaptive governance. European Sustainable Development Network.

The World Bank in Haiti Overview (2021). [Text/HTML]. World Bank. Retrieved September 2, 2023, from https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/haiti/overview

United Nations, (2015). Transforming our world: The 2030 agenda for sustainable development [A/RES/70/1]. New York: United Nations

United Nations Office for Project Services (2019). Building a resilient Haiti. PreventionWeb. (2019, January 14). https://www.preventionweb.net/news/building-resilient-haiti