,,iv #aacth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,,res4 #ca ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,january #ae1 #bjac ,ms4 ,lee of ,california 7for herself1 ,ms4 ,bordallo1 ,ms4 ,brown of ,florida1 ,mr4 ,capuano1 ,ms4 ,clarke1 ,mr4 ,ellison1 ,ms4 ,wilson of ,florida1 ,mr4 ,deutch1 ,mr4 ,van ,hollen1 ,mr4 ,meeks1 ,ms4 ,jackson ,lee1 ,ms4 ,meng1 ,mr4 ,mc,govern1 ,mr4 ,payne1 and ,ms4 ,norton7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs ,,resolution ,recognizing the anniversary of the tragic earthquake in ,haiti on ,january #ab1 #bjaj1 honoring those who lost their lives1 and expressing continued solidarity with the ,haitian people4 ,whereas on ,january #ab1 #bjaj1 a #g4j magnitude earthquake struck the country of ,haiti2 ,whereas according to the ,united ,states ,geological ,survey 7,,usgs71 the earthquake epicenter was located approximately #ae miles southwest of the capital1 ,port-au-,prince2 ,whereas according to ,,usgs1 the earthquake was followed by #ei aftershocks of magnitude #d4e or greater1 the most severe measuring #f4j2 ,whereas according to the ,government of ,haiti1 more than #caf1jjj people died as a result of the earthquake2 ,whereas according to the ,united ,nations and the ,international ,organization for ,migration1 an estimated #c1jjj1jjj people have been directly affected by the disaster1 nearly one-third of the country's population1 and #a1cjj1jjj people were displaced to settlements2 ,whereas casualty numbers and infrastructure damage1 including to roads1 ports1 hospitals1 and residential dwellings1 place the earthquake as the worst cataclysm to hit ,haiti in over two centuries and1 proportionally1 one of the world's worst natural disasters in modern times2 ,whereas the ,post ,disaster ,needs ,assessment 7,,pdna7 conducted by the ,government of ,haiti1 the ,united ,nations1 the ,world ,bank1 the ,inter-,american ,development ,bank1 and other experts estimates that damage and economic losses totaled #g1hjj1jjj1jjj1 approximately #abj percent of ,haiti's gross domestic product in #bjji2 ,whereas the ,,pdna estimates that #aa1ejj1jjj1jjj over three years is required for ,haiti's reconstruction and to lay the groundwork for long-term development2 ,whereas prior to the earthquake1 more than #gj percent of ,haitians lived on less than #b per day and ,haiti ranked #aeh out of #ahg countries on the ,united ,nations ,human ,development ,index2 ,whereas prior to the earthquake1 ,haiti was still in the process of recovering from a catastrophic series of hurricanes and tropical storms1 food shortages and rising commodity prices1 and political instability1 but was showing encouraging signs of improvement2 ,whereas ,president ,barack ,obama vowed the 8unwavering support0 of the ,united ,states and pledged a 8swift1 coordinated and aggressive effort to save lives and support the recovery in ,haiti02 ,whereas ,congress passed ,house ,resolution #ajba on ,january #ba1 #bjaj1 on a vote of #daa to #a1 expressing its 8deepest condolences and sympathy for the horrific loss of life0 and bipartisan 8support for the recovery and long-term reconstruction needs of ,haiti02 ,whereas the response to the tragedy from the global community1 and especially from the countries of the ,western ,hemisphere1 has been overwhelmingly positive2 ,whereas the initial emergency response of the men and women of the ,united ,states ,government1 led by the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development and ,united ,states ,southern ,command1 was swift and resolute2 ,whereas individuals1 businesses1 and philanthropic organizations across the ,united ,states and throughout the international community responded in support of ,haiti and its populace during this crisis1 sometimes in innovative ways such as fundraising through text messaging1 which some estimates reveal has raised more than #dj1jjj1jjj2 ,whereas significant challenges still remain in ,haiti as it works to recover and rebuild2 ,whereas according to the ,international ,organization for ,migration1 approximately #cfj1jjj people remain in spontaneous and organized camps in ,haiti and hundreds of thousands of ,haiti's poor continue to live in precarious housing conditions that make them vulnerable to potential future natural disasters2 ,whereas in #bjab alone1 ,haiti faced a long drought period and #b major tropical storms that destroyed #gj percent of agricultural crops in ,haiti1 impacting the lives of nearly #b1jjj1jjj people facing food insecurity2 ,whereas a devastated agricultural sector has a ripple effect throughout the ,haitian economy and affects the most vulnerable1 particularly children and poor women and men2 ,whereas ,haiti's food insecurity results largely from entrenched neglect of its agricultural sector1 particularly smallholder farmers who grow most of the ,haitian food1 and account for a large percentage of the food insecure populations2 ,whereas according to numerous nongovernmental organizations and ,united ,states contractors1 the pace of reconstruction has lagged significantly behind the original emergency relief phase2 ,whereas according to an independent ,united ,nations panel investigation1 on ,october #ai1 #bjaj1 an outbreak of cholera was detected in the ,lower ,artibonite region1 originating from a tributary near the ,minustah camp at ,mirebelais1 where the panel found that sanitation conditions 8were not sufficient to prevent fecal contamination of the ,meye ,tributary ,system of the ,artibonite ,river02 ,whereas initial efforts to contain the epidemic were disrupted by ,hurricane ,toms and resulting widespread flooding1 which led to the spreading and entrenchment of the disease throughout the country2 ,whereas according to the ,haitian ,ministry of ,public ,health and ,population1 as of ,december #ab1 #bjab1 more than #g1hbj people have died from cholera and more than #fbi1jjj have been infected2 ,whereas according to the ,pan ,american ,health ,organization and the ,world ,health ,organization1 cholera could spread to #aah1jjj people within the next year1 potentially causing over #a1djj deaths at the current case fatality rate2 ,whereas the ,governments of ,haiti and the ,dominican ,republic1 jointly with the ,pan ,american ,health ,organization1 the ,united ,nations ,children's ,fund1 and the ,united ,states ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention1 have developed a #aj-year plan to eliminate cholera from ,hispaniola through treatment1 hygiene education1 and the building of sustainable water and sanitation infrastructure2 ,whereas the ,united ,nations ,secretary-,general announced that only approximately #aj percent of the funds needed to execute this plan have been secured2 ,whereas throughout these crises1 the people of ,haiti continue to demonstrate unwavering resilience1 dignity1 and courage2 ,whereas at the international donors conference 8,towards a ,new ,future for ,haiti0 held on ,march #ca1 #bjaj1 #ei donors pledged approximately #e1fjj1jjj1jjj1 including nearly #a1aej1jjj1jjj from the ,united ,states1 to support the ,government of ,haiti's ,action ,plan for ,national ,recovery and ,development2 ,whereas the ,united ,nations ,office of the ,special ,envoy for ,haiti estimates that of the recovery and development funds pledged for #bjaj through #bjab1 approximately #ec percent has been disbursed2 and ,whereas ,haiti requires the sustained assistance from the ,united ,states and the international community in order to confront the ongoing cholera epidemic and promote reconstruction and development3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,house of ,representatives-- 7#a7 honors those who lost their lives due to the tragic earthquake of ,january #ab1 #bjaj2 7#b7 honors the sacrifice of the men and women of the ,government of ,haiti1 the ,united ,states ,government1 the ,united ,nations1 and the international community in their response to those affected by the calamity2 7#c7 expresses continued solidarity with the people of ,haiti as they work to rebuild their neighborhoods1 livelihoods1 and country2 7#d7 reaffirms its commitment to support ,haiti1 in partnership with the ,government of ,haiti and in coordination with other donors1 in long-term reconstruction2 7#e7 supports the efforts of the ,administration to increase food security in ,haiti through sustainable agriculture programs1 shore up housing initiatives for ,haiti's poor and vulnerable1 prevent the spread of cholera1 treat persons who contract the disease1 provide technical assistance to the ,haitian ,ministry of ,public ,health1 and improve longer-term water1 sanitation1 and health systems2 7#f7 urges the ,president and the international community to-- 7,a7 continue to focus assistance on building the capacity of ,haiti's public sector to sustainably provide basic services to its people2 7,b7 develop1 improve1 and scale-up communications and participatory mechanisms to more substantially involve ,haitian civil society at all stages of the post-earthquake responses2 and 7,c7 give priority to programs that protect and involve vulnerable populations1 including internally displaced persons1 children1 women and girls1 and persons with disabilities2 7#g7 urges the ,president to-- 7,a7 continue to make available to ,united ,states agencies1 nongovernmental organizations1 private volunteer organizations1 regional institutions1 and ,united ,nations agencies the resources necessary to confront the consequences of the natural disaster2 7,b7 support the efforts of the ,united ,nations ,secretary-,general to secure the necessary resources required to fully execute plans to eliminate cholera from the island of ,hispaniola through enhanced treatment and prevention efforts1 and through the development of clean water and sanitation infrastructure that is accessible to all ,haitians2 7,c7 continue to lead humanitarian and development efforts with the ,government of ,haiti1 the ,haitian ,diaspora1 and international actors who share in the goal of a better future for ,haiti2 7,d7 maximize responsible local and regional procurement2 7,e7 establish improved and transparent mechanisms for monitoring the implementation of ,united ,states ,government-funded aid programs2 and 7,f7 work with ,haitian authorities and private landowners to prevent the forced eviction of internally displaced person communities and provide decent housing for the poorest and most vulnerable ,haitians2 and 7#h7 desires a clear understanding for what would constitute success in the priority areas identified by the ,united ,states ,department of ,state4